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ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"With  tnaiice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  ail,  with 
hrmness  in  the  rio:ht,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right." 
—Second  Inaugural  Address,  March  4th,  1865. 


Hi 


HEROES    AND    FAIRIESi^^ 

Tales    Every    Child    Should    Know 

A     SELECTION     OF     THE     BEST     HERO 
TALES  AND  FAIRY  TALES  OF  ALL  TIMES 


:IN  TWO  PARTS: 


EDITED  BY 

HAMILTON    WRIGHT   MABIE 

DECORATED  BY 
BLANCHE  OSTERTAG 


NEW  YORK 

The    Christian     Herald 

Louis  Klopsch,  Proprietor 

Bible   House 

1907 


Copyright,   1Q05,   roo6.   IQ07.  by  Doubleday    Page  &  Company 


ALL    RIGHTS     RESERVED,    INCLUDING     THAT     OP   TRANSLATION 
INTO    PORBIGN    LANGUAGES,    INCLUDING    THB    SCANDINAVIAN 


PART  I-HEROES 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

TO 

"HEROES  EVERY  CHILD  SHOULD  KNOW" 

The  editor  and  publishers  wish  to  extend  their 
thanks  and  acknowledgment  to  the  firms  who  have 
kindly  permitted  the  use  of  material  in  this  volume: 

To  The  Macmillan  Co.  for  selections  from  ''Heroes 
of  Chivalry  and  Romance,"  ''Stories  of  Charlemagne 
and  the  Peers  of  France,"  "Old  English  History," 
"The  Crusaders,"  "Father  Damien:  A  Journey  from 
Cashmere  to  His  Home  in  Hawaii";  to  Thomas  Nel- 
son &  Son  for  material  from  "Martyrs  and  Saints  of 
the  First  Twelve  Centuries";  to  J.  M.  Dent  &  Co. 
for  selections  from  "Stories  from  Le  Morte  d' Arthur 
and  The  Mabinogion"  in  the  Temple  Classics  for 
Young  People;  to  E.  P.  Button  &  Co.  for  material 
from  "Chronicle  of  the  Cid";  to  Longmans,  Green  & 
Co.  for  material  from  "The  Book  of  Romance";  to 
John  C.  Winston  Co.  for  material  from  "Stories  from 
History";  to  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  for  material 
from  "The  True  Story  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 


CONTENTS 

TO 

"HEROES  EVERY  CHILD  SHOULD  KNOW" 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Introduction        .....      xi 
I.     Perseus.     Adapted  from   '  The  Heroes," 

by  Charles  Kingsley         ...       3 
II.     Hercules.     By  Kate  Stephens        .         .26 

III.  Daniel.     From  Book  of  Daniel,  Chapter 

vi.,  Verses  i  to  24  .  .  .         -43 

IV.  David.     From  I.  Book  of  Samuel,  Chap- 

ter xvii  ......     46 

V.  St.  George.  Adapted  from  "  Martyrs 
and  Saints  of  the  First  Twelve  Cen- 
turies," by  Mrs.  E.  Rundle  Charles     52 

VI.     King  Arthur.     Adapted  from   "  Stories 
from   Le  Morte  d 'Arthur    and    the 
Mabinogion,"  by  Beatrice  Clay        .     59 
VII.     Sir  Galahad.     Adapted   from   "  Stories 
from   Le  Morte  d'Arthur    and    the 
Mabinogion,"  by  Beatrice  Clay;  foi-   * 
lowed  by  ''  Sir  Galahad,"  by  Alfred 
Tennyson        .         .         .         .         "77 
VIII.     Siegfried.     Adapted   from   "  Heroes   of 
Chivalry  and   Romance,"  by   A.  J. 
Church  ......     89 

IX.     Roland.     Adapted     from     "  Stories     of 
Charlemagne     and     the     Peers    of 
France,"  by  A.  J.  Church.        .         .    109 
X.     King    Alfred.      Adapted    from    "  Old 

English  History,"  by  E.  A.  Freeman   127 


XII. 


X  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XL  The  Cid.  Adapted  from  "  Chronicle  of 
the  Cid,"  from  the  Spanish,  by  Rob- 
ert Southey     .....    144 

Robin  Hood.  Adapted  from  "  Book  of 
Romance,"  edited  by  Andrew  Lang; 
including  a  version  of  the  popular 
ballad,  "Robin  Hood  and  the 
Butcher"         .  .  .  .  .170 

Richard  the  Lion-Hearted.  Adapted 
from  "The  Crusaders,"  by  A.  J. 
Church  ......    189 

Saint  Louis.  Adapted  from  "  The  Cru- 
saders," by  A.  J.  Church.         .  .    208 

William  Tell.     Adapted  from  "  Stories 

from   History,"  by  Agnes  Strickland    227 

Robert  Bruce.  Adapted  from  "Tales 
of  a  Grandfather  from  Scottish  His- 
tory," by  Sir  Walter  Scott        .         -250 

George  Washington.  Adapted  from 
"  Recollections  and  Private  Memoirs 
of  Washington,"  by  G.  W.  Parke 
Custis    ......    274 

Robert  E.  Lee.  From  "Letters  and 
Recollections  of  General  Lee,"  by 
Captain  Robert  E.  Lee    .  .  .    289 

Abraham  Lincoln.  Adapted  from  "The 
True  Story  of  Abraham  Lincoln," 
by  Elbridge  S.  Brooks     ,  .  .    309 

Father  Damien.  Adapted  from  "Fatlier 
Damien :  A  Journey  from  Cashmere 
to  His  Home  in  Hawaii,"  by  Edward 
Clifford .^20 

See  Part  II,  followine;  page  332,  for  contents  of  Fairies  Every  Child  Should  Know 


XIII. 

xrv\ 

X\'. 
XVL 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 


INTRODUCTION 

TO 

HEROES  EVERY  CHILD  SHOULD  KNOW 


IF  THERE  had  been  no  real  heroes  there  would  have 
been  created  imaginary  ones,  for  men  cannot  live 
without  them.  The  hero  is  just  as  necessary  as 
the  farmer,  the  sailor,  the  caq^enter  and  the  doctor; 
society  could  not  get  on  without  him.  There  have  been  a 
great  many  different  kinds  of  heroes,  for  in  every  age  and 
among  every  people  the  hero  has  stood  for  the  qualities 
that  were  most  admired  and  sought  after  by  the  bravest 
and  best ;  and  all  ages  and  peoples  have  imagined  or  pro- 
duced heroes  as  inevitably  as  they  have  made  ploughs  for 
turning  the  soil  or  ships  for  getting  through  the  water  or 
weapons  with  which  to  fight  their  enemies.  To  be  some 
kind  of  a  hero  has  been  the  ambition  of  spirited  boys 
from  the  beginning  of  history;  and  if  you  want  to  know 
what  the  men  and  women  of  a  country  care  for  most,  you 
must  study  their  heroes.  To  the  boy  the  hero  stands  for 
the  highest  success:  to  the  grown  man  and  woman  he 
stands  for  the  deepest  and  richest  life. 

Men  have  always  worked  with  their  hands,  but  they 
have  never  been  content  with  that  kind  of  work;  they 
have  looked  up  from  the  fields  and  watched  the  sun  and 

xi 


xii  Introduction 

stars;  they  have  cut  wood  for  their  fires  in  the  forest, 
but  they  have  noticed  the  life  which  goes  on  among  the 
trees  and  they  have  heard  the  mysterious  sounds  which 
often  fill  the  air  in  the  remotest  places.  From  the  begin- 
ning men  have  not  only  used  their  hands  but  their  in- 
tellect and  their  imagination;  they  have  had  to  work  or 
starve,  but  they  have  seen  the  world,  thought  about  it  and 
dreamed  about  it. 

They  had  worked  and  thought  and  dreamed  only  a 
little  time  before  they  began  to  explain  the  marvelous 
earth  on  which  they  found  themselves  and  the  strange 
things  that  happened  in  it ;  the  vastness  and  beauty  of  the 
fields,  woods,  sky  and  sea,  the  force  of  the  wind,  the  com- 
ing and  going  of  the  day  and  night,  the  warmth  of  sum- 
mer when  everything  grew,  and  the  cold  of  winter  when 
everything  died,  the  rush  of  the  storm  and  the  terrible 
brightness  of  the  lightning.  They  had  no  idea  of  what 
we  call  law  or  force;  they  could  not  think  of  anything 
being  moved  or  any  noise  being  made  unless  there  was 
some  one  like  themselves  to  move  things  and  make 
sounds;  and  so  they  made  stories  of  gods  and  giants  and 
heroes  and  nymphs  and  fawns;  and  the  myths,  which  are 
poetic  explanations  of  the  world  and  of  the  life  of  men  in 
it,  came  into  being. 

But  they  did  not  stop  with  these  great  matters;  they 
began  to  tell  stories  about  themselves  and  the  things  they 


Introduction  xiii 

wanted  to  do  and  the  kind  of  life  they  wanted  to  lead. 
They  wanted  ease,  power,  wealth,  happiness,  freedom; 
so  they  created  genii,  built  palaces,  made  magic  carpets 
which  carried  them  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  and  horses 
with  wings  which  bore  them  through  the  air,  peopled  the 
woods  and  fields  with  friendly,  frolicsome  or  mischievous 
little  people,  who  made  fires  for  them  if  they  were  friendly, 
or  milked  cows,  overturned  bowls,  broke  dishes  and 
played  all  kinds  of  antics  and  made  all  sorts  of  trouble  if 
they  were  mischievous  or  unfriendly.  Beside  the  great 
myths,  like  wild  flowers  in  the  shade  of  great  trees,  there 
sprang  up  among  the  people  of  almost  all  countries  a 
host  of  poetic,  satirical,  humorous  or  homely  stories  of 
fairies,  genii,  trolls,  giants,  dwarfs,  imps,  and  queer 
creatures  of  all  kinds ;  so  that  to  the  children  of  two  hun- 
dred years  ago  the  woods,  the  fields,  the  solitary  and  quiet 
places  everywhere,  were  full  of  folk  who  kept  out  of 
sight,  but  who  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  fortunes 
and  fates  of  men  and  women. 

From  very  early  times  great  honor  was  paid  to  courage 
and  strength ;  qualities  which  won  success  and  impressed 
the  imagination  in  primitive  not  less  than  in  highly  de- 
veloped societies.  The  first  heroes  were  gods  or  demi- 
gods, or  men  of  immense  strength  who  did  difficult  things. 
When  men  first  began  to  live  in  the  world  they  were  in 
constant  peril  and   faced  hardships  of  every  kind;  and 


XIV 


Introduction 


from  the  start  they  had  very  hard  work  to  do.  There 
were  fields  to  be  cultivated,  houses  to  be  built,  woods  to 
be  explored,  beasts  to  be  killed  and  other  beasts  to  be 
tamed  and  set  to  work.  There  were  many  things  to  be 
done  and  no  tools  to  work  with;  there  were  great 
storms  to  be  faced  and  no  houses  for  protection;  there 
was  terrible  cold  and  no  fire  or  clothing;  there  were  di- 
seases and  no  medicine ;  there  were  perils  on  land,  in  the 
water  and  in  the  air,  and  no  knowledge  of  the  ways  of 
meeting  them. 

At  the  very  start  courage  and  strength  were  necessary 
if  life  was  to  be  preserved  and  men  were  to  live  together 
in  safety  and  with  comfort.  When  a  strong  man  ap- 
peared he  helped  his  fellows  to  make  themselves  more  at 
ease  in  the  world.  Sometimes  he  did  this  by  simply  mak- 
ing himself  more  comfortable  and  thus  showing  others 
how  to  do  it;  sometimes  he  did  it  by  working  for  his 
fellows.  No  matter  how  selfish  a  man  may  be,  if  he  does 
any  real  work  in  the  world  he  works  not  only  for  himself 
but  for  others.  In  this  way  a  selfish  man  like  Napoleon 
does  the  work  of  a  hero  without  meaning  to  do  it:  for  the 
world  is  so  made  that  no  capable  man  or  woman  can  be 
entirely  selfish,  no  matter  how  hard  they  try  to  get  and 
keep  everything  for  themselves. 

It  was  not  long  before  men  saw  that  strong  men  could 
not  work  for  themselves  without  working  for  others,  and 


Introduction  xv 

there  came  in  very  early  the  idea  of  service  as  part  of  the 
idea  of  heroism,  and  the  demi-gods,  who  were  among  the 
earliest  heroes,  were  servants  as  well  as  masters.  Her- 
cules, the  most  powerful  of  the  heroes  to  Greek  and 
Roman  boys  was  set  to  do  the  most  difficult  things  not 
for  himself  but  for  others.  He  destroyed  lions,  hydras, 
wild  boars,  birds  with  brazen  beaks  and  wings,  mad 
bulls,  many-headed  monsters,  horses  which  fed  on 
human  flesh,  dragons,  he  mastered  the  three-headed  dog 
Cerberus,  he  tore  asunder  the  rocks  at  the  Strait  of 
Gibraltar  which  bear  his  name  to  open  a  channel  be- 
tween the  Mediterranean  and  the  Atlantic.  He  fought 
the  Centaur  and  brought  back  Alcestis,  the  wife  of 
Admetus,  from  the  pale  regions  of  death  where  she  had 
gone  to  save  her  husband's  life.  In  all  these  labors, 
which  were  so  great  that  works  of  extraordinary  mag- 
nitude have  since  been  called  Herculean,  the  brave, 
patient,  suffering  hero,  was  helping  other  people  rather 
than  helping  himself. 

And  this  was  true  of  Thor,  the  strong  god  of  the  Norse- 
men whose  hammer  was  the  most  terrible  weapon  in  the 
world,  the  roll  and  crash  of  thunder  being  the  sound  of 
it  and  the  blinding  lightning  the  flash  of  it.  The  gods 
were  the  friends  of  men,  giving  the  light  and  warmth  and 
fertility  of  the  summer  that  the  fields  might  bear  food 
for  them  and  the  long,  bright  days  might  bring  them 


xvi  Introduction 

peace  and  happiness.  And  the  giants  were  the  enemies 
of  dien,  tirelessly  trying  to  make  the  fields  desolate  and 
stop  the  singing  of  birds  and  shroud  the  sky  in  darkness 
by  driving  away  summer  with  the  icy  breath  of  winter. 
In  this  perpetual  conflict  Thor  was  the  hero  of  strength 
and  courage,  beating  back  the  giants,  defeating  their 
schemes  and  fighting  the  battle  for  gods  and  men  with 
tireless  zeal;  counting  no  penl,x>i^jiaidshig  toogreat 
if  the2:e_  wa^jieroic_workj;(^ 

Courage  and  achievement  are  the  two  signs  of  the  hero ; 
he  may  possess  or  lack  many  other  qualities,  but  he  must 
be  daring  and  he  must  do  things  and  Qgt-dreaJ»r-er-taik,, 
about  them. 

From  the  days  of  Hercules  to  those  of  Washington  and 
Livingston,  men  of  heroic  spirit  have  not  stopped  to 
count  the  cost  when  a  deed  must  be  done  but  have  done 
it,  usually  with  very  little  talk  or  noise;  for  heroes,  as  a 
rule,  are  much  more  interested  in  getting  their  work  done 
than  in  making  themselves  conspicuous  or  winning  a 
reputation.  Heroes  have  often  been  harsh  and  even 
brutal,  especially  in  the  earliest  times  when  humane  feel- 
ing and  a  compassionate  spirit  had  not  been  developed; 
Siegfried,  Jason,  Gustavas  Adolphus  and  Von  Tromp 
were  often  arbitrary  and  oppressive  in  their  attitude  to- 
ward men;  and,  in  later  times,  Alfred  the  Great,  William 
the  Silent  and  Nelson  were  not  without  serious  defects 


Ifitroduction  xvii 

of  temper  and  sometimes  of  character.  Men  are  not 
great  or  heroic  because  they  are  faultless;  they  are  great 
and  heroic  because  they  dare,  suffer,  achieve  and  serve. 

And  men  love  their  heroes  not  because  they  have  been 
perfect  characters  under  all  conditions,  but  because  they 
have  been  brave,  true,  able,  and  unselfish.  A  man  may 
have  few  faults  and  count  for  very  little  in  the  world, 
because  he  lacks  force,  daring,  the  greatness  of  soul 
which  moves  before  a  generation  like  a  flaming  torch;  a 
man  may  lead  a  stainless  life,  not  because  he  is  really 
virtuous  but  because  he  has  very  few  temptations  within 
or  without.  Some  of  the  most  heroic  men  have  put 
forth  more  strength  in  jresisting,iu^ingl£j£mpla^iofi4lm 
men  of  theo^if^^  fin<^  mnrp  commonplace  natures  put  forth 
in  a  lifetime.  The  serious  faults  of  heroes  are  not  over- 
looked or  forgotten,  the  great  man  is  as  much  the  servant 
of  the  moral  law  as  the  little  man,  and  pays  the  same 
price  for  disobedience;  but  generosity  of  spirit,  devotion 
to  high  aims  and  capacity  for  self-sacrifice  often  outweigh 
serious  offence^.  Nelson  is  less  a  hero  because  he 
yielded  to  a  great  temptation;  but  he  remains  a  hero  in 
spite  of  the  stain  on  his  fame.  In  judging  the  hero  one 
must  take  into  account  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  the 
differences  in  moral  standards  between  the  past  and  the 
present,  and  the  force  of  the  temptations  which  come 
with    strength    of    body,    passion,    imagination,    great 


J 


xviii  Introduction 

position,  colossal  enterprises;  these  do  not  conceal  or 
excuse  the  faults  of  heroes  but  they  explain  those  faults- 
The  men  whose  bravery  and  great  deeds  are  described 
in  these  pages  have  been  selected  not  because  they  are 
faultless  in  character  and  life,  but  because  they  were 
brave,  generous,  self-forgetful,  self-sacrificing  and  capable 
of  splendid  deeds.  Men  love  and  honour  them  not  only 
because  they  owe  them  a  great  deal  of  gratitude,  but 
because  they  see  in  their  heroes  the  kind  of  men  they 
would  like  to  be;  for  the  possibilities  of  the  heroic  are  in 
almost  all  men.  Stones  of  the  heroes  haVe  often  made 
other  men  sfrong  and  brave  and  true  in  the  face  of  great 
perils  and  tasks,  and  this  book  is  put  forth  in  the  faith 
that  it  will  not  only  pass  on  the  fame  of  the  heroes  of  the 
past  but  help  make  heroes  in  the  present. 

H.  W.  M. 


Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 


CHAPTER  I 

PERSEUS 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  two  princes  who 
were  twins.  Their  names  were  Acrisius  and 
Proetus,  and  they  lived  in  the  pleasant  vale 
of  Argos,  far  away  in  Hellas.  They  had  fruitful  mead- 
ows and  vineyards,  sheep  and  oxen,  great  herds  of 
horses  feeding  down  in  Lerna  Fen,  and  all  that  men 
could  need  to  make  them  blest:  and  yet  they  were 
wretched,  because  they  were  jealous  of  each  other. 
From  the  moment  they  were  born  they  began  to  quarrel ; 
and  when  they  grew  up  each  tried  to  take  away  the 
other's  share  of  the  kingdom,  and  keep  all  for  himself. 

But  there  came  a  prophet  to  Acrisius  and  prophesied 
against  him,  and  said,  ''Because  you  have  risen  up 
against  your  own  blood,  your  own  blood  shall  rise  up 
against  you;  because  you  have  sinned  against  your 
kindred,  by  your  kindred  you  shall  be  punished. 
Your  daugher  Danae  shall  have  a  son,  and  by  that 
son's  hands  you  shall  die.  So  the  gods  have  ordained, 
and  it  will  surely  come  to  pass." 

And  at  that  Acrisius  was  very  much  afraid;  but  he 
did  not  mend  his  ways.  He  had  been  cruel  to  his  own 
family,  and,  instead  of  repenting  and  being  kind  to  them, 
he  went  on  to  be  more  cruel  than  ever:  for  he  shut  up 
his  fair  daughter  Danae  in  a  cavern  underground,  lined 
with  brass,  that  no  one  might  come  near  her.  So  he 
fancied  himself  more  cunning  than  the  gods:    but  you 

3 


4  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

will  see  presently  whether  he  was  able  to  escape 
them. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  in  time  a  son  came  to  Danae  : 
so  beautiful  a  babe  that  any  but  King  Acrisius  would 
have  had  pity  on  it.  But  he  had  no  pity;  for  he  took 
Danae  and  her  babe  down  to  the  seashore,  and  put  them 
into  a  great  chest  and  thrust  them  out  to  sea,  for  the 
winds  and  the  waves  to  carry  them  whithersoever  they 
would. 

The  northwest  wind  blew  freshly  out  of  the  blue 
mountains,  and  down  the  pleasant  vale  of  Argos,  and 
away  and  out  to  sea.  And  away  and  out  to  sea  before 
it  floated  the  mother  and  her  babe,  while  all  who  watched 
them  wept,  save  that  cruel  father,  King  Acrisius. 

So  they  floated  on  and  on,  and  the  chest  danced  up 
and  down  upon  the  billows,  and  the  baby  slept  upon  its 
mother's  breast:  but  the  poor  mother  could  not  sleep, 
but  watched  and  wept,  and  she  sang  to  her  baby  as  they 
floated;  and  the  song  which  she  sang  you  shall  learn 
yourselves  some  day. 

And  now  they  are  past  the  last  blue  headland,  and  in 
the  open  sea;  and  there  is  nothing  round  them  but  the 
waves,  and  the  sky,  and  the  wind.  But  the  waves  are 
gentle,  and  the  sky  is  clear,  and  the  breeze  is  tender  and 
low. 

So  a  night  passed,  and  a  day,  and  a  long  day  it  was  for 
Danae;  and  another  night  and  day  beside,  till  Danae 
was  faint  with  hunger  and  weeping,  and  yet  no  land  ap- 
peared. And  all  the  while  the  babe  slept  quietly;  and 
at  last  poor  Danae  drooped  her  head  and  fell  asleep  like- 
wise with  her  cheek  against  the  babe's. 

After  a  while  she  was  awakened  suddenly;  for  the 
chest  was  jarring  and  grinding,  and  the  air  was  full  of 


Perseus  5 

sound.  She  looked  up,  and  over  her  head  were  mighty 
cliffs,  all  red  in  the  setting  sun,  and  around  her  rocks  and 
breakers,  and  flying  flakes  of  foam.  She  clasped  her 
hands  together,  and  shrieked  aloud  for  help.  And 
when  she  cried,  help  met  her:  for  now  there  came  over 
the  rocks  a  tall  and  stately  man,  and  looked  down  wonder- 
ingly  upon  poor  Danae  tossing  about  in  the  chest  among 
the  waves. 

He  wore  a  rough  cloak  of  frieze,  and  on  his  head  a 
broad  hat  to  shade  his  face;  in  his  hand  he  carried  a 
trident  for  spearing  fish,  and  over  his  shoulder  was  a 
casting-net ;  but  Danae  could  see  that  he  was  no  common 
man  by  his  stature,  and  his  walk,  and  his  flowing  golden 
hair  and  beard;  and  by  the  two  servants  who  came  be- 
hind him,  carrying  baskets  for  his  fish.  But  she  had 
hardly  time  to  look  at  him  before  he  had  laid  aside  his 
trident  and  leapt  down  the  rocks,  and  thrown  his  casting- 
net  so  surely  over  Danae  and  the  chest,  that  he  drew  it, 
and  her,  and  the  baby,  safe  upon  a  ledge  of  rock. 

Then  the  fisherman  took  Danae  by  the  hand,  and 
lifted  her  out  of  the  chest,  and  said: 

''O  beautiful  damsel,  what  strange  chance  has  brought 
you  to  this  island  in  so  frail  a  ship?  Who  are  you,  and 
whence?  Surely  you  are  some  King's  daughter  and 
this  boy  has  somewhat  more  than  mortal." 

And  as  he  spoke  he  pointed  to  the  babe ;  for  its  face 
shone  like  the  morning  star. 

But  Danae  only  held  down  her  head,  and  sobbed 
out: 

''Tell  me  to  what  land  I  have  come,  unhappy  that  I 
am;  and  among  what  men  I  have  fallen!" 

And  he  said,  "This  isle  is  called  Seriphos,  and  I  am 
a  Hellen,  and  dwell  in  it.    I  am  the  brother  of  Polydectes 


6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  King ;  and  men  call  me  Dictys  the  netter,  because 
I  catch  the  fish  of  the  shore." 

Then  Danae  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  embraced  his 
knees  and  cried: 

"Oh,  sir,  have  pity  upon  a  stranger,  whom  a  cruel 
doom  has  driven  to  your  land;  and  let  me  live  in  your 
house  as  a  servant;  but  treat  me  honourably,  for  I  was 
once  a  king's  daughter,  and  this  my  boy  (as  you  have 
truly  said)  is  of  no  common  race.  I  will  not  be  a 
charge  to  you,  or  eat  the  bread  of  idleness;  for  I  am 
more  skilful  in  weaving  and  embroidery  than  all  the 
maidens  of  my  land." 

And  she  was  going  on;  but  Dictys  stopped  her,  and 
raised  her  up,  and  said: 

"My  daughter,  I  am  old,  and  my  hairs  are  growing 
grey;  while  I  have  no  children  to  make  my  home  cheerful. 
Come  with  me  then,  and  you  shall  be  a  daughter  to  me 
and  to  my  wife,  and  this  babe  shall  be  our  grandchild. 
For  I  fear  the  gods,  and  show  hospitality  to  all  strangers; 
knowing  that  good  deeds,  like  evil  ones,  always  return 
to  those  who  do  them." 

So  Danae  was  comforted,  and  went  home  with  Dictys 
the  good  fisherman,  and  was  a  daughter  to  him  and  to 
his  wife. 

Fifteen  years  were  passed  and  gone  and  the  babe  was 
now  grown  to  a  tall  lad  and  a  sailor,  and  went  many 
voyages  after  merchandise  to  the  islands  round.  His 
mother  called  him  Perseus;  but  all  the  people  in  Seriphos 
said  that  he  was  not  the  son  of  mortal  man,  and  called 
him  Zeus,  the  son  of  the  king  of  the  Immortals.  For 
though  he  was  but  fifteen,  he  was  taller  by  a  head  than 
any  man  in  the  island;  and  he  was  the  most  skilful  of  all 
in  running  and  wrestling  and  boxing,  and  in  throwing  the 


Perseus  7 

quoit  and  the  javelin,  and  in  rowing  with  the  oar,  and  in 
playing  on  the  harp,  and  in  all  which  befits  a  man.  And 
he  was  brave  and  truthful,  gentle  and  courteous,  for  good 
old  Dictys  had  trained  him  well;  and  well  it  was  for 
Perseus  that  he  had  done  so. 

Now  one  day  at  Samos,  while  the  ship  was  lading, 
Perseus  wandered  into  a  pleasant  wood  to  get  out  of  the 
sun,  and  sat  down  on  the  turf  and  fell  asleep.  And  as 
he  slept  a  strange  dream  came  to  him — the  strangest 
dream  which  he  had  ever  had  in  his  life. 

There  came  a  lady  to  him  through  the  wood,  taller 
than  he,  or  any  mortal  man;  but  beautiful  exceedingly, 
with  grey  eyes,  clear  and  piercing,  but  strangely  soft 
and  mild.  On  her  head  was  a  helmet,  and  in  her  hand 
a  spear.  And  over  her  shoulder,  above  her  long  blue 
robes,  hung  a  goat-skin,  which  bore  up  a  mighty  shield 
of  brass,  polished  like  a  mirror.  She  stood  and  looked 
at  him  with  her  clear  grey  eyes;  and  Perseus  saw  that 
her  eyelids  never  moved,  nor  her  eyeballs,  but  looked 
straight  through  and  through  him,  and  into  his  very 
heart,  as  if  she  could  see  all  the  secrets  of  his  soul,  and 
knew  all  that  he  had  ever  thought  or  longed  for  since 
the  day  that  he  was  born.  And  Perseus  dropped  his 
eyes,  trembling  and  blushing,  as  the  wonderful  lady 
spoke. 

"Perseus,  you  must  do  an  errand  for  me." 

''Who  are  you,  lady?  And  how  do  you  know  my 
name?" 

"I  am  Pallas  Athene;  and  I  know  the  thoughts  of  all 
men's  hearts,  and  discern  their  manhood  or  their  baseness. 
And  from  the  souls  of  clay  I  turn  away,  and  they  are 
blest,  but  not  by  me.  They  fatten  at  ease,  like  sheep  in 
the  pasture,  and  eat  what  they  did  not  sow,  like  oxen  in 


'8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  stall.  They  grow  and  spread,  like  the  gourd  along 
the  ground;  but,  like  the  gourd,  they  give  no  shade  to 
the  traveller,  and  when  they  are  ripe  death  gathers  them, 
and  they  go  down  unloved  into  hell,  and  their  name 
vanishes  out  of  the  land. 

''But  to  the  souls  of  fire  I  give  more  fire,  and  to 
those  who  are  manful  I  give  a  might  more  than  man's. 
These  are  the  heroes,  the  sons  of  the  Immortals  who  are 
blest,  but  not  like  the  souls  of  clay.  For  I  drive  them 
forth  by  strange  paths,  Perseus,  that  they  may  fight  the 
Titans  and  the  monsters,  the  enemies  of  gods  and  men. 
Through  doubt  and  need,  danger  and  battle,  I  drive 
them;  and  some  of  them  are  slain  in  the  flower  of  youth, 
no  man  knows  when  or  where;  and  some  of  them  win 
noble  names,  and  a  fair  and  green  old  age;  but  what  will 
be  their  latter  end  I  know  not,  and  none,  save  Zeus,  the 
father  of  gods  and  men.  Tell  me  now,  Perseus,  which 
of  these  two  sorts  of  men  seem  to  you  more  blest  .^" 

Then  Perseus  answered  boldly:  "Better  to  die  in  the 
flower  of  youth,  on  the  chance  of  winning  a  noble  name, 
than  to  live  at  ease  like  the  sheep,  and  die  unloved  and 
unrenowned." 

Then  that  strange  lady  laughed,  and  held  up  her 
brazen  shield,  and  cried:  "See  here,  Perseus;  dare  you 
face  such  a  monster  as  this,  and  slay  it,  that  I  may 
place  its  head  upon  this  shield?" 

And  in  the  mirror  of  the  shield  there  appeared  a  face 
and  as  Perseus  looked  on  it  his  blood  ran  cold.  It  was 
the  face  of  a  beautiful  woman ;  but  her  cheeks  were  pale 
as  death,  and  her  brows  were  knit  with  everlasting  pain, 
and  her  lips  were  thin  and  bitter  like  a  snake's;  and, 
instead  of  hair,  vipers  wreathed  about  her  temples,  and 
shot  out  their  forked  tongues;    while  round  her  head 


Perseus  9 

were  folded  wings  like  an  eagle's,  and  upon  her  bosom 
claws  of  brass. 

And  Perseus  looked  awhile,  and  then  said:  ''If  there 
is  anything  so  fierce  and  foul  on  earth,  it  were  a  noble 
deed  to  kill  it.     Where  can  I  find  the  monster  ?" 

Then  the  strange  lady  smiled  again,  and  said:  "Not 
yet;  you  are  too  young,  and  too  unskilled;  for  this  is 
Medusa  the  Gorgon,  the  mother  of  a  monstrous  brood." 

And  Perseus  said,  ''Try  me;  for  since  you  spoke  to 
me  a  new  soul  has  come  into  my  breast,  and  I  should  be 
ashamed  not  to  dare  anything  which  I  can  do.  Show 
me,  then,  how  I  can  do  this!" 

"Perseus,"  said  Athene,  "think  well  before  you  at- 
tempt; for  this  deed  requires  a  seven  years'  journey,  in 
which  you  cannot  repent  or  turn  back  nor  escape;  but 
if  your  heart  fails  you,  you  must  die  in  the  Unshapen 
Land,  where  no  man  will  ever  find  your  bones." 

"Better  so  than  live  despised,"  said  Perseus.  "Tell 
me,  then,  oh  tell  me,  fair  and  wise  Goddess,  how  I  can 
do  but  this  one  thing,  and  then,  if  need  be,  die!" 

Then  Athen^  smiled  and  said: 

"Be  patient,  and  listen;  for  if  you  forget  my  words, 
you  will  indeed  die.  You  must  go  northward  to  the 
country  of  the  Hyperboreans,  who  live  beyond  the  pole, 
at  the  sources  of  the  cold  north  wind,  till  you  find  the 
three  Grey  Sisters,  who  have  but  one  eye  and  one  tooth 
between  them.  You  must  ask  them  the  way  to  the 
Nymphs,  the  daughters  of  the  Evening  Star,  who  dance 
about  the  golden  tree,  in  the  Atlantic  island  of  the  west. 
They  will  tell  you  the  way  to  the  Gorgon,  that  you  may 
slay  her,  my  enemy,  the  mother  of  monstrous  beasts. 
Once  she  was  a  maiden  as  beautiful  as  morn,  till  in  her 
pride  she  sinned  a  sin  at  which  the  sun  hid  his  face;  and 


lo  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

from  that  day  her  hair  was  turned  to  vipers,  and  her 
hands  to  eagle's  daws;  and  her  heart  was  filled  with 
shame  and  rage,  and  her  lips  with  bitter  venom;  and  her 
eyes  became  so  terrible  that  whosover  looks  on  them  is 
turned  to  stone;  and  her  children  are  the  winged  horse 
and  the  giant  of  the  golden  sword;  and  her  grandchildren 
are  Echidna  the  witch -adder,  and  Geryon  the  three- 
headed  tyrant,  who  feeds  his  herds  beside  the  herds  of 
hell.  So  she  became  the  sister  of  the  Gorgons,  the 
daughters  of  the  Queen  of  the  Sea.  Touch  them  not, 
for  they  are  immortal;  but  bring  me  only  Medusa's 
head." 

"And  I  will  bring  it!"  said  Perseus;  "but  how  am  I 
to  escape  her  eyes?  Will  she  not  freeze  me  too  into 
stone?" 

"You  shall  take  this  polished  shield,"  said  Athene, 
"  and  w^hen  you  come  near  her  look  not  at  her  yourself , 
but  at  her  image  in  the  brass,  so  you  may  strike  her 
safely.  And  when  you  have  struck  off  her  head,  wrap 
it,  with  your  face  turned  away,  in  the  folds  of  the  goat- 
skin on  which  the  shield  hangs.  So  you  will  bring  it 
safely  back  to  me,  and  win  to  yourself  renown,  and  a 
place  among  the  heroes  who  feast  with  the  Immortals 
upon  the  peak  where  no  winds  blow." 

Then  Perseus  said,  "I  will  go,  though  I  die  in  going. 
But  how  shall  I  cross  the  seas  without  a  ship?  And 
who  will  show  me  my  way  ?  And  when  I  find  her,  how 
shall  I  slay  her,  if  her  scales  be  iron  and  brass?" 

Now  beside  Athene  appeared  a  young  man  more 
light-limbed  than  the  stag,  whose  eyes  were  like  sparks 
of  fire.  By  his  side  was  a  scimitar  of  diamond,  all  of 
one  clear  precious  stone,  and  on  his  feet  were  golden  san- 
dals, from  the  heels  of  which  grew  living  wings. 


Perseus  ii 

Then  the  young  man  spoke:  "These  sandals  of  mine 
will  bear  you  across  the  seas,  and  over  hill  and  dale  like 
a  bird,  as  they  bear  me  all  day  long;  for  I  am  Hermes,, 
the  far-famed  Argus-slayer,  the  messenger  of  the  Im- 
mortals who  dwell  on  Olympus." 

Then  Perseus  fell  down  and  worshipped,  while  the 
young  man  spoke  again: 

"The  sandals  themselves  will  guide  you  on  the  road, 
for  they  are  divine  and  cannot  stray ;  and  this  sword  itself 
the  Argus-slayer,  will  kill  her,  for  it  is  divine,  and  needs 
no  second  stroke.  Arise,  and  gird  them  on,  and  go 
forth." 

So  Peresus  arose,  and  girded  on  the  sandals  and  the 
sword. 

And  Athend  cried,  "Now  leap  from  the  cliff  and  be 
gone." 

But  Perseus  lingered. 

"May  I  not  bid  farewell  to  my  mother  and  to  Dictys ? 
And  may  I  not  offer  burnt  offerings  to  you,  and  to  Hermes 
the  far-famed  Argus-slayer,  and  to  Father  Zeus  above?" 

"You  shall  not  bid  farewell  to  your  mother,  lest  your 
heart  relent  at  her  weeping.  I  will  comfort  her  and 
Dictys  until  you  return  in  peace.  Nor  shall  you  offer 
burnt  offerings  to  the  Olympians;  for  your  offering  shall 
be  Medusa's  head.  Leap,  and  trust  in  the  armour  of 
the  Immortals." 

Then  Perseus  looked  down  the  cliff  and  shuddered; 
but  he  was  ashamed  to  show  his  dread.  Then  he 
thought  of  Medusa  and  the  renown  before  him,  and  he 
leapt  into  the  empty  air. 

And  behold,  instead  of  falling  he  floated,  and  stood, 
and  ran  along  the  sky.  He  looked  back,  but  Athen^ 
had  vanished,  and  Hermes;  and  the  sandals  led  him  on 


12  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

northward  ever,  like  a  crane  who  follows  the  spring 
toward  the  Ister  fens. 

So  Perseus  started  on  his  journey,  going  dry-shod  over 
land  and  sea ;  and  his  heart  was  high  and  joyful,  for  the 
winged  sandals  bore  him  each  day  a  seven  days'  journey. 
And  he  turned  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  the  left,  till 
he  came  to  the  Unshapen  Land,  and  the  place  which  has 
no  name. 

And  seven  days  he  walked  through  it  on  a  path  which 
few  can  tell,  till  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the  everlasting 
night,  where  the  air  was  full  of  feathers,  and  the  soil  was 
hard  with  ice;  and  there  at  last  he  found  the  three  Grey 
Sisters,  by  the  shore  of  the  freezing  sea,  nodding  upon  a 
white  log  of  driftwood,  beneath  the  cold  white  winter 
moon;  and  they  chanted  a  low  song  together,  "Why  the 
old  times  were  better  than  the  new." 

There  was  no  living  thing  around  them,  not  a  fly,  not 
a  moss  upon  the  rocks.  Neither  seal  nor  sea  gull  dare 
come  near,  lest  the  ice  should  clutch  them  in  its  claws. 
The  surge  broke  up  in  foam,  but  it  fell  again  in  flakes  of 
snow;  and  it  frosted  the  hair  of  the  three  Grey  Sisters, 
and  the  bones  in  the  ice  cliff  above  their  heads.  They 
passed  the  eye  from  one  to  the  other,  but  for  all  that  they 
could  not  see;  and  they  passed  the  tooth  from  one  to 
the  other,  but  for  all  that  they  could  not  eat;  and  they 
sat  in  the  full  glare  of  the  moon,  but  they  were  none  the 
warmer  for  her  beams.  And  Perseus  pitied  the  three 
Grey  Sisters;  but  they  did  not  pity  themselves. 

So  he  said,  "Oh,  venerable  mothers,  wisdom  is  the 
daughter  of  old  age.  You  therefore  should  know 
many  things.  Tell  me,  if  you  can,  the  path  to  the 
Gorgon." 

Then  one  cried,  "Who  is  this  who  reproaches  us  with 


Perseus  13 

old  age?"  And  another,  **This  is  the  voice  of  one  of  the 
children  of  men." 

Then  one  cried, ''  Give  me  the  eye,  that  I  may  see  him"; 
and  another,  "Give  me  the  tooth,  that  I  may  bite  him." 
But  Perseus,  when  he  saw  that  they  were  foolish  and 
proud,  and  did  not  love  the  children  of  men,  left  off 
pitying  them.  Then  he  stepped  close  to  them,  and 
watched  till  they  passed  the  eye  from  hand  to  hand.  And 
as  they  groped  about  between  themselves,  he  held  out 
his  own  hand  gently,  till  one  of  them  put  the  eye  into  it, 
fancying  that  it  was  the  hand  of  her  sister.  Then  he 
sprang  back,  and  laughed,  and  cried : 

"Cruel  and  proud  old  women,  I  have  your  eye;  and 
I  will  throw  it  into  the  sea,  unless  you  tell  me  the  path  to 
the  Gorgon,  and  swear  to  me  that  you  tell  me  right." 

Then  they  wept,  and  chattered,  and  scolded;  but  in 
vain.  They  were  forced  to  tell  the  truth,  though,  when 
they  told  it,  Perseus  could  hardly  make  out  the  road. 

"You  must  go,"  they  said,  "foolish  boy,  to  the  south- 
ward, into  the  ugly  glare  of  the  sun,  till  you  come  to 
Atlas  the  Giant,  who  holds  the  heaven  and  the  earth 
apart.  And  you  must  ask  his  daughters,  the  Hesperides, 
who  are  young  and  foolish  like  yourself.  And  now  give 
us  back  our  eye,  for  we  have  forgotten  all  the  rest." 

So  Perseus  gave  them  back  their  eye.  And  he  leaped 
away  to  the  southward,  leaving  the  snow  and  the  ice 
behind.  And  the  terns  and  the  sea  gulls  swept  laughing 
round  his  head,  and  called  to  him  to  stop  and  play,  and 
the  dolphins  gambolled  up  as  he  passed,  and  offered  to 
carry  him  on  their  back.  And  all  night  long  the  sea 
nymphs  sang  sweetly.  Day  by  day  the  sun  rose  higher 
and  leaped  more  swiftly  into  the  sea  at  night,  and  more 
swiftly  out  of  the  sea  at  davvn;   while  Perseus  skimmed 


14  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

over  the  billows  like  a  sea  gull,  and  his  feet  were  never 
wetted;  and  leapt  on  from  wave  to  wave,  and  his  limbs 
were  never  weary,  till  he  saw  far  away  a  mighty  mountain, 
all  rose-red  in  the  setting  sun.  Perseus  knew  that  it 
was  Atlas,  who  holds  the  heavens  and  the  earth  apart. 

He  leapt  on  shore,  and  wandered  upward,  among 
pleasant  valleys  and  waterfalls.  At  last  he  heard  sweet 
voices  singing;  and  he  guessed  that  he  was  come  to  the 
garden  of  the  Nymphs,  the  daughters  of  the  Evening 
Star.  They  sang  like  nightingales  among  the  thickets, 
and  Perseus  stopped  to  hear  their  song;  but  the  words 
which  they  spoke  he  could  not  understand.  So  he 
stepped  forward  and  saw  them  dancing,  hand  in  hand 
around  the  charmed  tree,  which  bent  under  its  golden 
fruit;  and  round  the  tree  foot  was  coiled  the  dragon,  old 
Ladon  the  sleepless  snake,  who  lies  there  for  ever,  listen- 
ing to  the  song  of  the  maidens,  blinking  and  watching 
with  dry  bright  eyes. 

Then  Perseus  stopped,  not  because  he  feared  the  dra- 
gon, but  because  he  was  bashful  before  those  fair  maids ; 
but  when  they  saw  him,  they  too  stopped,  and  called  to 
him  with  trembling  voices: 

"Who  are  you,  fair  boy  ?  Come  dance  with  us  around 
the  tree  in  the  garden  which  knows  no  winter,  the  home 
of  the  south  wind  and  the  sun.  Come  hither  and  play 
with  us  awhile;  we  have  danced  alone  here  for  a  thou- 
sand years,  and  our  hearts  are  weary  with  longing  for  a 
playfellow." 

*'I  cannot  dance  with  you,  fair  maidens;  for  I  must 
do  the  errand  of  the  Immortals.  So  tell  me  the  way  to 
the  Gorgon,  lest  I  wander  and  perish  in  the  waves." 

Then  they  sighed  and  wept ;  and  answered : 

"The  Gorgon!  she  will  freeze  you  into  stone." 


Perseus  1 5 

**It  is  better  to  die  like  a  hero  than  to  live  like  an  ox 
in  a  stall.  The  Immortals  have  lent  me  weapons,  and 
they  will  give  me  wit  to  use  them." 

Then  they  sighed  again  and  answered:  ''Fair  boy,  if 
you  are  bent  on  your  own  ruin,  be  it  so.  We  know  not 
the  way  to  the  Gorgon;  but  we  will  ask  the  giant  Atlas 
above  upon  the  mountain  peak.'^  So  they  went  up  the 
mountain  to  Atlas  their  uncle,  and  Perseus  went  up  with 
them.  And  they  found  the  giant  kneeling,  as  he  held  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  apart. 

They  asked  him,  and  he  answered  mildly,  pointing 
to  the  sea  board  with  his  mightly  hand,  ''I  can  see 
the  Gorgons  lying  on  an  island  far  away,  but  this  youth 
can  never  come  near  them,  unless  he  has  the  hat  of  dark- 
ness, which  whosoever  wears  cannot  be  seen." 

Then  cried  Perseus,  ''Where  is  that  hat,  that  I  may 
find  it?" 

But  the  giant  smiled.  "No  living  mortal  can  find 
that  hat,  for  it  lies  in  the  depths  of  Hades,  in  the  regions 
of  the  dead.  But  my  nieces  are  immortal,  and  they  shall 
fetch  it  for  you,  if  you  will  promise  me  one  thing  and  keep 
your  faith." 

Then  Perseus  promised;  and  the  giant  said,  "When 
you  come  back  with  the  head  of  Medusa,  you  shall  show 
me  the  beautiful  horror,  that  I  may  lose  my  feeling  and 
my  breathing,  and  become  a  stone  for  ever;  for  it  is 
weary  labour  for  me  to  hold  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
apart." 

Then  Perseus  promised,  and  the  eldest  of  the  Nymphs 
went  down,  and  into  a  dark  cavern  among  the  cliffs,  out 
of  which  came  smoke  and  thunder,  for  it  was  one  of  the 
mouths  of  hell. 

And  Perseus  and  the  Nymphs  sat  down  seven  days, 


1 6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  waited  trembling,  till  the  Nymph  came  up  again; 
and  her  face  was  pale,  and  her  eyes  dazzled  with  the  light 
for  she  had  been  long  in  the  dreary  darkness ;  but  in  her 
hand  was  the  magic  hat. 

Then  all  the  Nymphs  kissed  Perseus,  and  wept  over 
him  a  long  while;  but  he  was  only  impatient  to  be  gone. 
And  at  last  they  put  the  hat  upon  his  head,  and  he  van- 
ished out  of  their  sight. 

But  Perseus  went  on  boldly,  past  many  an  ugly  sight, 
far  away  into  the  heart  of  the  Unshapen  Land,  till  he 
heard  the  rustle  of  the  Gorgons'  wings  and  saw  the  glitter 
of  their  brazen  talons;  and  then  he  knew  that  it  was 
time  to  halt,  lest  Medusa  should  freeze  him  into  stone. 

He  thought  awhile  with  himself,  and  remembered 
Athene's  words.  He  arose  aloft  into  the  air,  and  held 
the  mirror  of  the  shield  above  his  head,  and  looked  up 
into  it  that  he  might  see  all  that  was  below  him. 

And  he  saw  the  three  Gorgons  sleeping.  He  knew  that 
they  could  not  see  him,  because  the  hat  of  darkness  hid 
him ;  and  yet  he  trembled  as  he  sank  down  near  them,  so 
terrible  were  those  brazen  claws. 

Two  of  the  Gorgons  were  foul  as  swine,  and  lay  sleep- 
ing heavily,  with  their  mighty  wings  outspread;  but 
Medusa  tossed  to  and  fro  restlessly,  and  as  she  tossed 
Perseus  pitied  her.  But  as  he  looked,  from  among  her 
tresses  the  vipers'  heads  awoke,  and  peeped  up  with  their 
bright  dry  eyes,  and  showed  their  fangs,  and  hissed;  and 
Medusa,  as  she  tossed,  threw  back  her  wings  and  showed 
her  brazen  claws. 

Then  Perseus  came  down  and  stepped  to  her  boldly, 
and  looked  steadfastly  on  his  mirror,  and  struck  with 
Herpd  stoutly  once ;  and  he  did  not  need  to  strike  again. 

Then  he  wrapped  the  head  in  the  goat-skin,  turning 


Perseus 


17 


away  his  eyes,  and  sprang  into  the  air  aloft,  faster  than 
he  ever  sprang  before. 

For  Medusa's  wings  and  talons  rattled  as  she  sank 
dead  upon  the  rocks ;  and  her  two  foul  sisters  woke,  and 
saw  her  lying  dead. 

Into  the  air  they  sprang  yelling,  and  looked  for  him  who 
had  done  the  deed.  They  rushed,  sweeping  and  flapping, 
like  eagles  after  a  hare;  and  Perseus 's  blood  ran  cold  as 
he  saw  them  come  howling  on  his  track;  and  he  cried, 
''Bear  me  well  now,  brave  sandals,  for  the  hounds  of 
Death  are  at  my  heels!" 

And  well  the  brave  sandals  bore  him,  aloft  through 
cloud  and  sunshine,  across  the  shoreless  sea;  and  fast 
followed  the  hounds  of  Death.  But  the  sandals  were  too 
swift,  even  for  Gorgons,  and  by  nightfall  they  were  far 
behind,  two  black  specks  in  the  southern  sky,  till  the  sun 
sank  and  he  saw  them  no  more. 

Then  he  came  again  to  Atlas,  and  the  garden  of  the 
Nymphs;  and  when  the  giant  heard  him  coming  he 
groaned,  and  said,  "Fulfil  thy  promise  to  me."  Then 
Perseus  held  up  to  him  the  Gorgon's  head,  and  he  had 
rest  from  all  his  toil;  for  he  became  a  crag  of  stone,  which 
sleeps  forever  far  above  the  clouds. 

Perseus  thanked  the  Nymphs,  and  asked  them,  "By 
what  road  shall  I  go  homeward  again,  for  I  have  wandered 
far  in  coming  hither?" 

And  they  wept  and  cried,  "  Go  home  no  more,  but  stay 
and  play  with  us,  the  lonely  maidens,  who  dwell  for  ever 
far  away  from  gods  and  men." 

But  he  refused,  and  they  told  him  his  road.  And  he 
leapt  down  the  mountain,  and  went  on,  lessening  and 
lessening  like  a  sea  gull,  away  and  out  to  sea. 

So  Perseus  flitted  onward  to  the  northeast,  over  many 


i8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

a  league  of  sea,  till  he  came  to  the  rolling  sand  hills  and 
the  dreary  Lybian  shore. 

And  he  flitted  on  across  the  desert:  over  rock  ledges, 
and  banks  of  shingle,  and  level  wastes  of  sand,  and  shell 
drifts  bleaching  in  the  sunshine,  and  the  skeletons  of 
great  sea  monsters,  and  dead  bones  of  ancient  giants, 
strewn  up  and  down  upon  the  old  sea  floor.  And  as  he 
went  the  blood  drops  fell  to  the  earth  from  the  Gorgon's 
head,  and  became  poisonous  asps  and  adders,  which 
breed  in  the  desert  to  this  day. 

Over  the  sands  he  went,  till  he  saw  the  Dwarfs  who 
fought  with  cranes.  Their  spears  were  of  reeds  and 
rushes,  and  their  houses  of  the  eggshells  of  the  cranes; 
and  Perseus  laughed,  and  went  his  way  to  the  northeast, 
hoping  all  day  long  to  see  the  blue  Mediterranean  spark- 
ling, that  he  might  fly  across  it  to  his  home. 

But  now  came  down  a  mighty  wind,  and  swept  him. 
back  southward  toward  the  desert.  All  day  long  he 
strove  against  it;  but  even  the  winged  sandals  could 
not  prevail.  So  he  was  forced  to  float  down  the  wind  all 
night ;  and  when  the  morning  dawned  there  was  nothing 
but  the  blinding  sun  in  the  blinding  blue;  and  round 
him   there  was  nothing  but  the  blinding  sand. 

And  Perseus  said,  "Surely  I  am  not  here  without  the 
will  of  the  Immortals,  for  Athene  will  not  lie.  Were  not 
these  sandals  to  lead  me  in  the  right  road?  Then  the 
road  in  which  I  have  tried  to  go  must  be  a  wrong  road." 

Then  suddenly  his  ears  were  opened,  and  he  heard  the 
sound  of  running  water.  And  at  that  his  heart  was 
lifted  up,  though  he  scarcely  dare  believe  his  ears;  and 
within  a  bowshot  of  him  was  a  glen  in  the  sand,  and 
marble  rocks,  and  date  trees,  and  a  lawn  of  gay  green 
grass.    And  through  the  lawn  a  streamlet  sparkled  and 


Perseus  19 

wandered  out  beyond  the  trees,  and  vanished  in  the  sand. 
And  Perseus  laughed  for  joy,  and  leapt  down  the  cliff 
and  drank  of  the  cool  water,  and  ate  of  the  dates,  and 
slept   upon  the  turf,  and  leapt  up  and  went  forward. 

Then  he  towered  in  the  air  like  an  eagle,  for  his  limbs 
were  strong  again;  and  he  flew  all  night  across  the  moun- 
tain till  the  day  began  to  dawn,  and  rosy-fingered  Eos 
came  blushing  up  the  sky.  And  then,  behold,  beneath 
him  was  the  long  green  garden  of  Egypt  and  the  shining 
stream  of  Nile. 

And  he  saw  cities  walled  up  to  heaven,  and  temples, 
and  obelisks,  and  pyramids,  and  giant  gods  of  stone. 
And  he  came  down  amid  fields  of  barley  and  flax,  and 
millet,  and  clambering  gourds;  and  saw  the  people 
coming  out  of  the  gates  of  a  great  city,  and  setting  to 
work,  each  in  his  place,  among  the  water  courses,  parting 
the  streams  among  the  plants  cunningly  with  their  feet, 
according  to  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians.  But  when 
they  saw  him  they  all  stopped  their  work,  and  gathered 
round  him,  and  cried: 

"Who  art  thou,  fair  youth?  and  what  Dearest  thou 
beneath  they  goat-skin  there  ?  Surely  thou  art  one  of 
the  Immortals;  for  thy  skin  is  white  like  ivory,  and  ours 
is  red  like  clay.  Thy  hair  is  like  threads  of  gold,  and 
ours  is  black  and  curled.  Surely  thou  art  one  of  the 
Immortals";  and  they  would  have  worshipped  him  then 
and  there;  but  Perseus  said: 

''I  am  not  one  of  the  Immortals ;  but  I  am  a  hero  of 
the  Hellens.  And  I  have  slain  the  Gorgon  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  bear  her  head  with  me.  Give  me  food,  there- 
fore, that  I  may  go  forward  and  finish  my  work." 

Then  they  gave  him  food,  and  fruit,  but  they  would 
not  let  him  go.  And  when  the  news  came  into  the  city 


20  Heroes  Every  Child  Shotdd  Know 

that  the  Gorgon  was  slain,  the  priests  came  out  to  meet 
him,  and  the  maidens,  with  songs  and  dances,  and  tim- 
brels and  harps;  and  they  would  have  brought  him  to 
their  temple  and  to  their  King ;  but  Perseus  put  on  the 
hat  of  darkness,  and  vanished  away  out  of  their  sight. 

And  Perseus  flew  along  the  shore  above  the  sea;  and 
he  went  on  all  the  day;  and  he  went  on  all  the  night. 

And  at  the  dawn  of  day  he  looked  toward  the  cliffs; 
and  at  the  water's  edge,  under  a  black  rock,  he  saw  a 
white  image  stand. 

''This,"  thought  he,  "must  surely  be  the  statue  of 
some  sea  god;  I  will  go  near  and  see  what  kind  of  gods 
these  barbarians  worship." 

But  when  he  came  near,  it  was  no  statue,  but  a  maiden 
of  flesh  and  blood;  for  he  could  see  her  tresses  streaming 
in  the  breeze;  and  as  he  came  closer  still,  he  could  see 
how  she  shrank  and  shivered  when  the  waves  sprinkled 
her  with  cold  salt  spray.  Her  arms  were  spread  above 
her  head,  and  fastened  to  the  rock  with  chains  of  brass; 
and  her  head  drooped  on  her  bosom,  either  with  sleep, 
or  weariness,  or  grief.  But  now  and  then  she  looked  up 
and  wailed,  and  called  her  mother;  yet  she  did  not  see 
Perseus,  for  the  cap  of  darkness  was  on  his  head. 

Full  of  pity  and  indignation,  Perseus  drew  near  and 
looked  upon  the  maid.  And,  lifting  the  hat  from  his 
head,  he  flashed  into  her  sight.  She  shrieked  with  terror, 
and  tried  to  hide  her  face  with  her  hair,  for  she  could 
not  with  her  hands;    but  Perseus  cried: 

''Do  not  fear  me,  fair  one;  I  am  a  Hellen,  and  no 
barbarian.  What  cruel  men  have  bound  you?  But 
first  I  will  set  you  free." 

And  he  tore  at  the  fetters,  but  they  were  too  strong  for 
him;  while  the  maiden  cried: 


Perseus  21 

''Touch  me  not;  I  am  accursed,  devoted  as  a  victim 
to  the  sea  gods.  They  will  slay  you,  if  you  dare  to  set 
me  free." 

"Let  them  try,"  said  Perseus;  and  drawing  Herpe 
from  his  thigh,  he  cut  through  the  brass  as  if  it  had  been 
flax. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "you  belong  to  me,  and  not  to  these 
sea  gods,  whosoever  they  may  be!"  But  she  only 
called  the  more  on  her  mother. 

"Why  call  on  your  mother?  She  can  be  no  mother 
to  have  left  you  here." 

And  she  answered,  weeping: 

"I  am  the  daughter  of  Cepheus,  King  of  lopa,  and  my 
mother  is  Cassiopoeia  of  the  beautiful  tresses,  and  they 
called  me  Andromeda,  as  long  as  life  was  mine.  And  I 
stand  bound  here,  hapless  that  I  am,  for  the  sea  monster's 
food,  to  atone  for  my  mother's  sin.  For  she  boasted 
of  me  once  that  I  was  fairer  than  the  Queen  of  the  Fishes ; 
so  she  in  her  wrath  sent  the  sea  floods,  and  her  brother 
the  Fire  King  sent  the  earthquakes,  and  wasted  all  the 
land,  and  after  the  floods  a  monster  bred  of  the  slime  who 
devours  all  living  things.  And  now  he  must  devour  me, 
guiltless  though  I  am — me  who  never  harmed  a  living 
thing,  nor  saw  a  fish  upon  the  shore  but  I  gave  it  life,  and 
threw  it  back  into  the  sea ;  for  in  our  land  we  eat  no  fish, 
for  fear  of  their  queen.  Yet  the  priests  say  that  nothing 
but  my  blood  can  atone  for  a  sin  which  I  never  com- 
mitted." 

But  Perseus  laughed,  and  said,  "A  sea  monster?  I 
have  fought  with  worse  than  him:  I  would  have  faced 
Immortals  for  your  sake :  how  much  more  a  beast  of  the 
sea?" 

Then  Andromeda  looked  up  at  him,  and  new  hope 


22  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

was  kindled  in  her  breast,  so  proud  and  fair  did  he  stand 
with  one  hand  round  her,  and  in  the  other  the  ghttering 
sword.  But  she  only  sighed,  and  wept  the  more,  and 
cried : 

''Why  will  you  die,  young  as  you  are?  Is  there  not 
death  and  sorrow  enough  in  the  world  already?  It  is 
noble  for  me  to  die,  that  I  may  save  the  lives  of  a  whole 
people;  but  you,  better  than  them  all,  why  should  I  slay 
you  too?  Go  you  your  way;  I  must  go  mine."  And 
then,  suddenly  looking  up,  she  pointed  to  the  sea,  and 
shrieked : 

''There  he  comes,  with  the  sunrise,  as  they  promised. 
I  must  die  now.  How  shall  I  endure  it  ?  Oh,  go!  Is  it 
not  dreadful  enough  to  be  torn  piecemeal,  without  hav- 
ing you  to  look  on?"     And  she  tried  to  thrust  him  away. 

But  he  said:  '*I  go;  yet  promise  me  one  thing  ere  I  go: 
that  if  I  slay  this  beast  you  will  be  my  wife,  and  come 
back  with  me  to  my  kingdom  in  fruitful  Argos.  Promise 
me,  and  seal  it  with  a  kiss." 

Then  she  lifted  up  her  face,  and  kissed  him;  and 
Perseus  laughed  for  joy,  and  flew  upward,  while  Androm- 
eda crouched  trembling  on  the  rock. 

On  came  the  great  sea  monster,  coasting  along  like 
a  huge  black  galley.  His  great  sides  were  fringed  with 
clustering  shells  and  seaweeds,  and  the  water  gurgled 
in  and  out  of  his  wide  jaws. 

At  last  he  saw  Andromeda,  and  shot  forward  to  take 
his  prey,  while  the  waves  foamed  white  behind  him,  and 
before  him  the  fish  fled  leaping. 

Then  down  from  the  height  of  the  air  fell  Perseus  like 
a  shooting  star;  down  to  the  crests  of  the  waves,  while 
Andromeda  hid  her  face  as  he  shouted;  and  then  there 
was  silence  for  a  while. 


Perseus  23 

At  last  she  looked  up  trembling,  and  saw  Perseus 
springing  toward  her;  and  instead  of  the  monster  a  long 
black  rock,  with  the  sea  rippling  quietly  round  it. 

Who  then  so  proud  as  Perseus,  as  he  leapt  back  to 
the  rock,  and  lifted  his  fair  Andromeda  in  his  arms,  and 
flew  with  her  to  the  cliff  top,  as  a  falcon  carries  a  dove  ? 

Who  so  proud  as  Perseus,  and  who  so  joyful  as  all  the 
i^thiop  people  ?  For  they  had  stood  watching  the  mon- 
ster from  the  cliffs,  wailing  for  the  maiden's  fate.  And 
already  a  messenger  had  gone  to  Cepheus  and  Cassio- 
poeia,  where  they  sat  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  on  the  ground, 
in  the  innermost  palace  chambers,  awaiting  their 
daughter's  end.  And  they  came,  and  all  the  city  with 
them,  to  see  the  wonder,  with  songs  and  with  dances, 
with  cymbals  and  harps,  and  received  their  daughter 
back  again,  as  one  alive  from  the  dead. 

Then  Cepheus  said,  "Hero  of  the  Hellens,  stay  here 
with  me  and  be  my  son-in-law,  and  I  will  give  you  the 
half  of  my  kingdom." 

"I  will  be  your  son-in-law,"  said  Perseus,  ''but  of 
your  kingdom  I  will  have  none,  for  I  long  after  the  pleas- 
ant land  of  Greece,  and  my  mother  who  waits  for  me  at 
home." 

Then  Cepheus  said,  "You  must  not  take  my  daughter 
away  at  once,  for  she  is  to  us  like  one  alive  from  the 
dead.  Stay  with  us  here  a  year,  and  after  that  you  shall 
return  with  honour."  And  Perseus  consented.  So 
they  went  up  to  the  palace;  and  when  they  came  in, 
there  stood  in  the  hall  Phineua,  the  brother  of  Cepheus, 
chafing  like  a  bear  robbed  of  her  whelps,  and  with  him 
his  sons,  and  his  servants,  and  many  an  armed  man, 
and  he  cried  to  Cepheus: 

"You  shall  not  marry  your  daughter  to  this  stranger 


24  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

of  whom  no  one  knows  even  the  name.  Was  not  An- 
dromeda betrothed  to  my  son?  And  now  she  is  safe 
again,  has  he  not  a  right  to  claim  her?" 

But  Perseus  laughed,  and  answered:  ''If  your  son 
is  in  want  of  a  bride,  let  him  save  a  maiden  for  himself." 

Then  he  unveiled  the  Gorgon's  head,  and  said,  ''This 
has  delivered  my  bride  from  one  wild  beast;  it  shall  deliver 
her  from  many."  And  as  he  spoke  Phineus  and  all  his 
men-at-arms  stopped  short,  and  stiffened  each  man  as 
he  stood;  and  before  Perseus  had  drawn  the  goat-skin 
over  the  face  again,  they  were  all  turned  into  stone. 
Then  Perseus  bade  the  people  bring  levers  and  roll  them 
out. 

So  they  made  a  great  wedding  feast,  which  lasted 
seven  whole  days,  and  who  so  happy  as  Perseus  and 
Andromeda  ? 

And  when  a  year  was  ended  Perseus  hired  Phoenicians 
from  Tyre,  and  cut  down  cedars,  and  built  himself  a 
a  noble  galley;  and  painted  its  cheeks  with  vermilion 
and  pitched  its  sides  with  pitch;  and  in  it  he  put  An- 
dromeda, and  all  her  dowry  of  jewels,  and  rich  shawls, 
and  spices  from  the  East;  and  great  was  the  weeping 
when  they  rowed  away.  But  the  remembrance  of  his 
brave  deed  was  left  behind;  and  Andromeda's  rock  was 
shown  at  lopa  in  Palestine  till  more  than  a  thousand 
years  were  past. 

So  Perseus  and  the  Phoenicians  rowed  to  the  westward, 
across  the  sea,  till  they  came  to  the  pleasant  Isles  of 
Hellas,  and  Seriphos,  his  ancient  home. 

Then  he  left  his  galley  on  the  beach,  and  went  up  as  of 
old;  and  he  embraced  his  mother,  and  Dictys  his  good 
foster-father,  and  they  wept  over  each  other  a  long  while, 
for  it  was  seven  years  and  more  since  they  had  met. 


Perseus  25 

Then  he  went  home  to  Argos,  and  reigned  there  well 
with  fair  Andromeda.  But  the  will  of  the  gods  was 
accomplished  towards  Acrisius,  his  grandfather,  for  he 
died  from  the  falling  of  a  quoit  which  Perseus  had 
thrown  in  a  game. 

Perseus  and  Andromeda  had  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  died  in  a  good  old  age.  And 
when  they  died,  the  ancients  say,  Athene  took  them 
up  into  the  sky,  with  Cepheus  and  Cassiopoeia. 
And  there  on  starlight  nights  you  may  see  them  shining 
still;  Cepheus  with  his  kingly  crown,  and  Cassiopoeia 
in  her  ivory  chair,  plaiting  her  star-spangled  tresses, 
and  Perseus  with  the  Gorgon's  head,  and  fair  Andromeda 
beside  him,  spreading  her  long  white  arms  across  the 
heavens,  as  she  stood  when  chained  to  the  stone  for  the 
monster.  All  night  long  they  shine,  for  a  beacon  to 
wandering  sailors;  but  all  day  they  feast  with  the  gods, 
on  the  still  blue  peaks  of  Olympus. 


CHAPTER  II 

HERCULES 

MANY,  many  years  ago  in  the  far-off  land  of  Hellas, 
which  we  call  Greece,  lived  a  happy  young 
couple  whose  names  were  Alcmene  and  Amphitryon. 
Now  Amphitryon,  the  husband,  owned  many  herds  of 
cattle.  So  also  the  father  of  Alcmene,  who  was  King  of 
Mycenae,  owned  many. 

All  these  cattle  grazing  together  and  watering  at  the 
same  springs  became  united  in  one  herd.  And  this  was 
the  cause  of  much  trouble,  for  Amphitryon  fell  to  quarrel- 
ing with  the  father  of  his  wife  about  his  portion  of  the 
herd.  At  last  he  slew  his  father-in-law,  and  from  that 
day  he  fled  his  old  home  at  Mycenae. 

Alcmene  went  with  her  husband  and  the  young  couple 
settled  at  Thebes,  where  were  born  to  them  two  boys — 
twins — which  were  later  named  Hercules  and  Iphicles. 

From  the  child's  very  birth  Zeus,  the  King  of  all  heaven 
that  is  the  air  and  clouds,  and  the  father  of  gods  and 
men — from  the  boy's  very  birth  Zeus  loved  Hercules. 
But  when  Hera,  wife  of  Zeus,  who  shared  his  honours,  saw 
this  love  she  was  angry.  Especially  she  was  angry  be- 
cause Zeus  foretold  that  Hercules  should  become  the 
greatest  of  men. 

Therefore  one  night,  when  the  two  babies  were  but 
eight  months  old,  Hera  sent  two  huge  serpents  to  destroy 
them.  The  children  were  asleep  in  the  great  shield  of 
brass  which  Amphitryon  carried  in  battle  for  his  defence. 

26 


Hercules  27 

It  was  a  good  bed,  for  it  was  round  and  curved  toward 
the  centre,  and  filled  with  soft  blankets  which  Alcmene 
and  the  maids  of  the  house  had  woven  at  their  looms. 
Forward  toward  this  shield  the  huge  snakes  were  creeping, 
and  just  as  they  lifted  their  open  mouths  above  the  rim, 
and  were  making  ready  to  seize  them,  the  twins  opened 
their  eyes.  Iphicles  screamed  with  fright.  His  cries 
wakened  their  mother,  Alcmene,  who  called  in  a  loud 
voice  for  help.  But  before  Amphitryon  and  the  men  of 
the  household  could  draw  their  swords  and  rush  to  the 
rescue,  the  baby  Hercules,  sitting  up  in  the  shield  un- 
terrified  and  seizing  a  serpent  in  each  hand,  had  choked 
and  strangled  them  till  they  died. 

From  his  early  years  Hercules  was  instructed  in  the 
learning  of  his  time.  Castor,  the  most  experienced 
charioteer  of  his  day,  taught  him,  Eurytus  also,  how  to 
shoot  with  a  bow  and  arrows;  Linus  how  to  play  upon  the 
lyre;  and  Eumolpus,  grandson  of  the  North  Wind,  drilled 
him  in  singing.  Thus  time  passed  to  his  eighteenth 
year  when,  so  great  already  had  become  his  strength  and 
knowledge,  he  killed  a  fierce  lion  which  had  preyed  upon 
the  flocks  of  Amphitryon  while  they  were  grazing  on 
Mount  Cithaeron,and  which  had  in  fact  laid  waste  many 
a  fat  farm  of  the  surrounding  country. 

But  the  anger  of  Hera  still  followed  Hercules,  and  the 
goddess  sent  upon  him  a  madness.  In  this  craze  the 
hero  did  many  unhappy  deeds.  For  punishment  and  in 
expiation  he  condemned  himself  to  exile,  and  at  last  he 
went  to  the  great  shrine  of  the  god  Apollo  at  Delphi  to 
ask  whither  he  should  go  and  where  settle.  The  Pythia, 
or  priestess  in  the  temple,  desired  him  to  settle  at  Tiryns, 
to  serve  as  bondman  to  Eurystheus,  who  ruled  at  My- 
cenae as  King,  and  to  perform  the  great  labours  which 


28  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Eurystheus  should  impose  upon  him.  When  these  tasks 
were  all  accomplished,  the  inspired  priestess  added, 
Hercules  should  be  numbered  among  the  immortal 
gods. 

THE  FIRST  LABOUR — WRESTLING   WITH   THE  NEMEAN 
LION 

The  first  task  which  Eurystheus  required  of  Hercules 
was  to  bring  him  the  skin  of  a  lion  which  no  arrow  nor 
other  weapon  could  wound,  and  which  had  long  been  a 
terror  to  the  good  people  who  lived  in  Nemea.  Hercules 
set  forth  armed  with  bow  and  quiver,  but  paused  in  the 
outer  wood  of  Nemea  long  enough  to  cut  himself  his 
famous  club.  There  too  he  fell  in  with  an  honest 
countryman  who  pledged  him  to  make  a  sacrifice  to  Zeus, 
the  saviour,  if  he,  Hercules,  should  return  victorious;  but 
if  he  were  slain  by  the  monstrous  lion,  then  the  country- 
man should  make  the  sacrifice  a  funeral  offering  to 
himself  as  a  hero. 

So  Hercules  proceeded,  far  into  a  dense  wood,  deserted 
because  all  people  feared  the  fierce  beast  it  protected. 
On  he  went  till  after  many  days  he  sighted  the  lion  at  rest 
near  the  cave  which  was  its  den.  Standing  behind  a 
tree  of  great  girth,  Hercules  fitted  and  let  fly  an  arrow. 
It  struck  and  glanced,  leaving  the  animal  unharmed. 
Then  he  tried  another  shot,  aiming  at  the  heart.  Again 
the  arrow  failed.  But  the  lion  was  by  this  time  roused, 
and  his  eyes  shot  fiery  glances,  and  the  heavy  roar  from 
his  throat  made  the  woods  most  horribly  resound.  Then 
the  devoted  Hercules  seized  his  heavy  wooden  club,  and 
rushing  forward  drove  the  lion  by  the  suddenness  and 
fierceness  of  his  assault  into  his  den.  But  the  den  had 
two  entrances.     Against  one  Hercules  rolled  huge  stones. 


Hercules  29 

and  entering  the  cave  by  the  other  he  grasped  the  lion's 
throat  with  both  hands,  and  thus  held  him  struggling  and 
gasping  for  breath  till  he  lay  at  his  feet  dead. 

Hercules  swung  the  mighty  bulk  upon  his  shoulders 
and  proceeded  to  seek  the  countryman  with  whom  his 
pledge  stood.  So  great  had  been  his  journey,  and  so 
hard  his  search,  that  he  did  not  find  the  good  man  till  the 
last  of  the  thirty  days.  There  he  stood  just  on  the  point 
of  offering  a  sheep  to  Hercules,  supposing  him  dead.  To- 
gether they  sacrificed  the  sheep  to  Zeus  instead,  and  Her- 
cules, vigorous  and  victorious,  bore  the  mighty  lion's 
body  to  Eurystheus  at  Mycenae. 

Entering  the  place  and  throwing  the  carcass  down  be- 
fore the  king,  Hercules  so  terrified  Eurystheus  by  this 
token  of  his  wonderful  strength  that  the  King  forbade  him 
ever  again  to  enter  the  city.  Indeed  some  say  that  the 
terror  of  Eurystheus  was  so  great  that  he  had  a  jar  or 
vessel  of  brass  secretly  constructed  underground  which 
he  might  use  as  a  safe  retreat  in  case  of  danger.  This 
*'jar"  was  probably  a  chamber  and  its  walls  covered 
within  with  plates  of  brass.  For  now  in  our  own  day  is 
seen  there  at  Mycenae  a  room  under  the  earth,  and  the 
nails  which  fastened  the  brass  plates  to  the  wall  still  re- 
main. Ever  after  the  conquest  of  this  lion  Hercules 
clothed  himself  with  the  skin. 

THE   SECOND    LABOUR DESTROYING   THE    LERNEAN 

HYDRA 

The  second  task  of  Hercules  was  to  destroy  a  hydra  or 
water  snake  which  dwelt  in  the  marsh  of  Lerna,  a  small 
lake  near  Mycenae.  The  body  of  this  snake  was  large 
and  from  its  body  sprang  nine  heads.  Eight  of  these 
heads  were  mortal,  but  the  ninth  head  was  undying. 


30  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Hercules  stepped  into  his  chariot  and  his  dear  nephew 
lolaus,  who  was  permitted  by  the  Delphic  priestess  to 
drive  for  him,  took  up  the  reins.  The  way  to  Lerna  was 
pleasant.  In  spring-time  crocuses  and  hyacinths  sprang 
by  the  roadside,  and  in  early  summer  the  nightingales 
sang  in  the  olive  groves,  vineyard  and  forest.  That  so 
great  and  horrible  a  monster  could  be  near! 

When  Hercules  and  lolaus  came  to  Lerna  they  drew 
close  to  ground  rising  near  a  spring,  and  Hercules  dis- 
mounting and  searching  found  the  very  hole  into  which 
the  hydra  had  retired.  Into  this  he  shot  fiery  arrows. 
The  arrows  discomforting  the  snake  it  crawled  forth  and, 
darting  at  him  furiously,  endeavoured  to  twine  itself 
about  his  legs.  The  hero  began  then  to  wield  his 
mighty  club.  He  crushed  head  after  head  upon  the 
snake's  body,  but  for  every  one  crushed  two  sprang  in  its 
place. 

At  length  the  hydra  had  coiled  so  firmly  round 
one  leg,  that  Hercules  could  not  move  an  inch  from  the 
spot.  And  now  an  enormous  crab  came  from  the  water 
out  of  friendship  for  the  hydra,  and  that  too  crept  up  to 
Hercules  and,  seizing  his  foot,  painfully  wounded  him. 

Swinging  his  club  with  heroic  vigor  Hercules  beat  the 
crab  to  death.  Then  he  called  to  lolaus  to  fire  a  little 
grove  of  trees  near  by.  lolaus  at  once  set  the  fire,  and 
when  the  saplings  were  well  aflame  he  seized  them  and, 
standing  by  the  hero,  as  fast  as  Hercules  cut  off  a  head 
of  the  hydra  he  seared  the  neck  with  a  flaming  brand. 
The  searing  prevented  the  heads  from  growing  again. 
When  all  the  eight  mortal  heads  had  thus  been  dispatched 
Hercules  struck  off  the  one  said  to  be  immortal  and 
buried  it  in  the  roadway,  setting  a  heavy  stone  above. 
The  body  of  the  hydra  he  cut  up  and  dipped  his  arrows 


Hercules  3 1 

in  the  gall,  which  was  so  full  of  poison  that  the   least 
scratch  from  such  an  arrow  would  bring  certain  death. 

Eurystheus  received  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the 
water  snake  with  bad  grace.  He  claimed  that  Hercules 
had  not  destroyed  the  monster  alone,  but  only  with  the 
assistance  of  lolaus.  All  the  people,  however,  rejoiced 
greatly,  and  they  hastened  to  drain  the  marsh  where  the 
hydra  had  dwelt  so  that  never  again  could  such  an  enemy 
abide  upon  their  lands. 

THE   THIRD    LABOUR — CAPTURING   THE   ARCADIAN   HIND 

In  the  days  in  which  Hercules  lived,  Arcadia  was  a 
beautiful  country  of  cool,  sweet-scented  woods,  clear 
mountain  streams,  and  sloping  meadow-sides  from  which 
rose  every  now  and  then  the  roof  of  a  hunter's  cottage  or 
a  shepherd's  hutch.  It  was  a  country'  also  peculiarly 
pleasing  to  Artemis,  the  goddess  of  the  chase,  and  pecu- 
liarly also  it  was  the  haunt  of  all  animals  especially  dear 
to  the  goddess. 

A  hind  was  there  of  such  loveliness  and  grace 
that  Artemis  had  marked  her  for  her  own,  and  given 
her  a  pair  of  golden  horns  so  that  she  might  be 
known  from  all  other  deer  a-nd  her  life  thus  preserved. 
For  no  good  Hellen,  or  Greek,  would  slay  for  food  any 
animal  sacred  to  a  god.  This  beautiful  golden-horned 
hind  Eurystheus  ordered  Hercules  to  bring  to  him  alive, 
for  the  irreverence  of  the  King  did  not  go  so  far  as  to  de- 
mand her  dead. 

So  Hercules  went  forth  for  the  hunting  and,  not 
wishing  to  wound  the  hind,  pursued  her  for  one  en- 
tire year.  Up  hill  he  went,  down  many  a  mountain 
dale,  across  many  a  gleaming  river,  through  deep  forest 
and  open  tieid,  and  always  dancing  before  him  were  the 


32  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

golden  tips  of  horns  of  the  hind — near  enough  to  be  seen, 
too  fax  to  be  seized.  At  last  tired  with  the  pursuit  the 
lovely  beast  one  day  took  refuge  upon  a  mountain  side, 
and  there  as  she  sought  the  water  of  a  river,  Hercules 
struck  her  with  an  arrow.  The  wound  was  slight,  but 
it  helped  the  hero  to  catch  the  creature,  and  to  lift  her 
to  his  shoulders.  Thereupon,  he  started  for  the 
court  of  Eurystheus. 

But  the  way  was  long,  and  it  lay  through  a  part  of  Ar- 
cadia where  the  bush  was  heavy,  and  forests  were  deep,  and 
mountains  were  high,  and  while  Hercules  was  pursuing 
his  way  and  bearing  his  meek-eyed  burden,  he  one  day 
met  the  fair  goddess  to  whom  the  hind  was  sacred. 
Her  brother,  the  beautiful  god  Apollo,  was  with  her. 

Artemis  seeing  her  captured  deer  cried  to  the  hero, 
"Mortal,  oho!  thus  wilt  thou  violate  a  creature  set  aside 
by  the  gods?"  ** Mighty  Artemis  and  huntress,"  an- 
swered Hercules,  "this  hind  I  know  is  thine.  A  twelve- 
month have  I  chased  and  at  last  caught  her.  But  the 
god  Necessity  forced  me!  Oh,  immortal  one,  I  am  not 
impious.  Eurystheus  commanded  me  to  catch  the 
hind  and  the  priestess  of  Apollo  enjoined  me  to  observe 
the  King's  command." 

When  Artemis  understood  how  Hercules  was  bond- 
man she  dismissed  her  anger,  and  sent  him  forward  with 
kind  words,  and  thus  he  brought  the  golden-homed  hind 
to  Mycenae  and  sent  it  in  to  the  King. 

THE  FOURTH  LABOUR — CAPTURING  THE  BOAR  OF 
ERYMANTHUS 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  famed  Arcadia  where 
the  golden-homed  hind  roamed  was  a  range  of  mountains 
called  Erymanthus.     Over  the  high  tops  of  this  range 


Hercules 


ZZ 


wandered  also  a  wild  beast,  but  unlike  the  lovely  hind  he 
was  fierce  and  terrible  of  aspect  and  deadly  in  encounter. 
He  was  known  as  the  boar  of  Erymanthus.  This  tusked 
and  terrible  being  the  King  of  Mycenae,  Eurystheus, 
commanded  the  mighty  Hercules,  his  bondman,  to  bring 
alive  to  him. 

Again  Hercules  set  out,  and  again  he  fared  over  hill 
and  across  bright  waters,  and  as  he  went  the  birds  sang 
spring  songs  to  him  from  vine  and  tree  shade,  and  yellow 
crocuses  carpeted  the  earth.  In  his  journey  he  came 
one  day  to  the  home  of  Pholus,  a  centaur,  who  dwelt 
with  other  centaurs  upon  the  side  of  a  mountain.  Now 
the  centaurs  were,  of  all  the  dwellers  of  that  distant  land, 
most  unlike  us  modern  folks.  For  report  has  it  that  they 
were  half  that  noble  creature  man,  and  half  that  noble 
creature  horse :  that  is  to  say,  they  were  men  as  far  as  the 
waist,  and  then  came  the  body  of  the  horse  with  its  swift 
four  feet.  There  are  those,  indeed,  who  claim  that  the 
centaurs  were  men  and  rode  their  mountain  ponies  so 
deftly  that  man  and  horse  seemed  one  whole  creature. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  upon  this  mountain  side  the  centaur 
Pholus  dwelt  with  others  of  his  kind,  and  there  to  visit 
with  him  came  Hercules. 

The  centaur  with  his  hospitable  heart  and  own  hands 
prepared  a  dinner  of  roast  meat  for  the  hungry  traveller, 
and  as  they  sat  at  the  board  in  genial  converse  they  had 
much  enjoyment.  But  Hercules  was  also  thirsty,  and 
the  sparkling  water  from  the  mountain  spring  seemed 
not  to  satisfy  him.  He  asked  the  centaur  for  wine. 
"Ah,  wine,  my  guest-friend  Hercules,"  answered  Pholus, 
"I  have  none  of  my  own.  Yonder  is  a  jar  of  old  vintage, 
but  it  belongs  to  all  the  centaurs  of  our  mountain  and  I 
cannot  open  it."     "But  friend  Pholus,"  said  Hercules 


34  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

pressingly,  "I  would  I  had  a  little  for  my  stomach's 
sake." 

Now  the  centaur  had  a  kind  heart  as  we  have  said,  and 
he  rejoiced  that  Hercules  had  come,  and  to  give  the  hero 
his  desires  he  opened  the  jar.  The  wine  was  made  from 
grapes  that  grew  under  the  fair  skies  of  Arcadia  and  its 
fragrance  was  like  a  scent  of  lilies  or  of  roses,  and  when 
the  soft  winds  entered  the  door,  near  which  Hercules  sat 
drinking,  it  seized  the  perfume  and  bore  it  over  the  moun- 
tain side.  Now  hear  of  all  the  mischief  a  little  wine  may 
make. 

The  fragrance  in  the  air  told  the  centaurs,  wherever 
each  happened  to  be,  that  their  wine  jar  had  been  opened, 
and  they  rushed  to  its  resting  place  perhaps  to  defend  it 
from  any  wayfaring  thief,  perhaps  to  help  drink  it,  we  do 
not  know.  But  each  came  angrily  to  the  mouth  of  the 
cave  of  Pholus  and  all  were  armed  with  stones  and  staves 
which  they  had  seized  as  they  hastened  onward.  When 
they  first  entered  with  raging  cries  and  threatening  gesture 
Hercules  grasped  the  brands  burning  on  the  hospitable 
hearth  and  drove  them  back.  As  others  pressed  behind 
them  the  hero  drew  forth  his  arrows  poisoned  with  the 
gall  of  the  Lernean  hydra,  and  sent  among  them  many  a 
shaft.  Thus  they  fought  retreating  and,  they  fleeing 
and  Hercules  pursuing,  came  finally  to  the  dwelling  of 
Chiron,  most  famed  of  all  the  centaurs  and  a  teacher  of 
Hercules  in  his  youth,  teacher  of  his  great  art  of  surgery. 

The  wine  raging  in  the  veins  of  Hercules  made  him 
for  the  moment  forgetful  of  all  the  good  Chiron  had 
bestowed  upon  him,  and  still  letting  fly  his  poisonous 
arrows  he,  aiming  at  another,  hit  the  noblest  of  the  cen- 
taurs. Grief  seized  Hercules  when  he  saw  what  he  had 
done  and  he  ran  and  drew  out  the  arrow  and  applied  a 


Hercules  35 

soft  ointment  which  Chiron  himself  had  taught  him  to 
make.  But  it  was  in  vain,  for  the  centaur,  inspiring 
teacher  and  famed  for  his  love  of  justice  as  he  was,  soon 
gave  up  the  ghost. 

Saddened  at  his  own  madness  Hercules  now  returned 
to  the  cave  of  his  guest-friend  Pholus.  There  among 
others  his  host  lay,  and  stark  dead.  He  had  drawn  an 
arrow  from  the  body  of  one  who  had  died  from  its  wound, 
and,  while  examining  it  and  wondering  how  so  slight  a 
shaft  could  be  so  fatal,  had  accidentally  dropped  it  out  of 
his  hand.  It  struck  his  foot  and  he  expired  that  very 
moment. 

Hercules  paid  all  funeral  honour  to  his  friends  and 
afterward  departing  from  the  unhappy  neighbourhood 
took  up  his  search  of  the  boar. 

Heavy  snows  were  lying  on  the  crests  of  Erymanthus 
when  Hercules  came  upon  the  tracks  of  the  wild  creature, 
and  following  patiently  finally  reached  his  lair.  There 
the  boar  stood,  his  tusks  pointed  outward  ready  for  at- 
tack, his  eyes  snapping  vindictively.  He  was  indeed  a 
terrible  thing  to  see. 

Hercules,  instead  of  shooting  at  the  animal,  began  to 
call,  and  shouting  with  loud  cries  he  so  confused  the 
boar  that  he  ran  into  the  vast  snowdrift  standing  near 
by.  Thereupon  the  hero  seized  and  bound  him  with 
a  wild  grapevine  he  had  brought  for  the  purpose. 
And  so  swinging  him  over  his  shoulder  he  took  his  way 
toward  Mycenae. 

The  King  Eurystheus  was  terribly  frightened  at  the 
very  prospect  of  having  the  boar  to  keep,  and  when 
he  heard  Hercules  was  coming  to  town  with  the  animal 
on  his  shoulders  he  took  to  the  brazen  underground 
chamber,  which  he  had  built,  when  Hercules  came  in 


36  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

with  the  body  of  the  Nemean  lion.  There  he  stayed 
for  several  days,  according  to  a  good  old  historian, 
Diodorus,  who  in  writing  of  the  King  told  that  he 
was  so  great  a  coward. 

THE    FIFTH    LABOUR — CLEANSING   THE   STABLES   OF 
AUGEAS 

Although  Eurystheus  was  siezed  with  tremor  at  the 
coming  of  Hercules  with  the  Erymanthian  boar,  still  he 
continued  relentless,  and  demanded  the  performance 
of  the  next  task,  which  was  nothing  less  than  the  cleaning 
out  in  one  day  of  stables  where  numerous  cattle  had  been 
confined  for  many  years.  These  noisome  stalls  belonged 
to  Augeas,  a  King  of  Elis  and  a  man  rich  in  herds — so 
rich  indeed  that  as  the  years  passed  and  his  cattle  in- 
creased he  could  not  find  men  enough  to  care  for  his 
kine  and  their  house.  Thus  the  animals  had  continued, 
and  had  so  littered  their  abiding  place  that  it  had  become 
well  nigh  intolerable  and  a  source  of  disease  and  even  of 
pestilence  to  the  people. 

When  Hercules  came  to  King  Augeas  he  said  nothing 
to  him  of  the  command  Eurystheus  had  laid  upon  him, 
but  looking  through  the  stables  which  covered  a  space  of 
many  meadows  he  spoke  of  the  cattle  and  the  evil  con- 
dition of  their  housing.  "The  moon-eyed  kine  will  do 
better  in  clean  stables,"  said  the  wise  Hercules,  ''and  if 
thou  wilt  pledge  me  a  tenth  of  thy  herds  I  will  clean  out 
thy  stalls  in  a  day."  To  this  Augeas  delightedly  agreed 
and,  speaking  as  they  were  in  the  presence  of  the  young 
son  of  the  King,  Hercules  called  upon  the  prince  to 
witness  the  pact. 

Now  Hercules  in  going  about  the  great  stables  had 
noticed  that  at  the  upper  end  of  their  building  flowed 


Hercules 


37 


a  swift  river,  and  at  the  lower  end  was  a  second  swift 
stream.  When  therefore  Angeas  had  pledged  himself 
to  the  work,  Hercules,  beginning  early  next  day,  took 
down  the  walls  at  the  upper  end  of  the  stalls  and  the  walls 
at  the  lower  end.  Then  with  his  own  mighty  hands  he 
dug  channels  and  canals  and  led  the  waters  of  the  upper 
swift-flowing  river  into  the  heavily  littered  floor  of  the 
stalls.  And  the  waters  rose  and  pushed  the  litter  before 
them  and  made  one  channel  into  the  lower  river,  and 
then  another  and  another  and  so,  working  through  the 
hours  of  the  day,  the  upper  river  scoured  the  stables 
clean  and  carried  the  refuse  to  the  lower  river.  And 
the  lower  river  took  the  burden  and  carried  it  out  to  the 
salt  sea,  which  is  ever  and  always  cleaning  and  purifying 
whatever  comes  to  its  waters.  And  when  night  fell 
there  stood  the  hero  Hercules  looking  at  his  work — the 
filthy  stables  of  Augeas  cleaned. 

When  next  day  Hercules  asked  for  the  tenth  of  the 
herds  which  the  King  had  pledged,  Augeas  refused  ta 
stand  by  his  agreement.  He  had  learned  that  this  labour 
of  cleaning  his  stables  had  been  imposed  upon  Hercules, 
and  he  claimed  he  should  pay  nothing  for  it;  in  fact,  he 
denied  he  had  promised  anything,  and  offered  to  lay  the 
matter  before  judges.  The  cause  therefore  was  tried, 
and  at  the  trial  the  young  son  of  the  King,  who  had 
witnessed  the  pact,  testified  to  the  truth  of  Hercules'" 
claim.  This  so  enraged  his  father  that  in  most  high- 
handed manner  he  banished  both  his  son  and 
the  hero  from  Elis  without  waiting  for  the  judg- 
ment of  the  court.  Hercules  returned  to  Mycenae. 
But  again  the  cowardly  and  contemptible  Eurystheus 
refused  to  count  this  labour,  saying  Hercules  had  done 
it  for  hire. 


^S  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

THE    SIXTH   LABOUR — SHOOTING   THE   STYMPHALIAN 
BIRDS 

Far  in  the  famed  land  of  Arcadia  is  a  beautiful  lake 
known  so  many  years  ago,  as  in  the  time  of  Hercules,  and 
even  by  us  in  our  day,  as  Lake  Stymphalus.  It  is  a  lake 
of  pure  sweet  water  and  it  lies,  as  such  waters  lie  in  our 
own  country,  high  up  in  mountains  and  amid  hillsides 
covered  with  firs  and  poplars  and  clinging  vines  and  wild 
blossoms. 

In  our  day  the  lake  is  a  resort  for  gentle  singing  birds, 
but  in  the  time  of  Hercules  other  birds  were  there  also. 
The  other  birds  were  water  fowls,  and  they  had  gathered 
at  Lake  Stymphalus  because  they  had  been  driven  out  of 
their  old  home  by  wolves,  who  alone  were  hungrier  and 
more  destructive  than  they.  These  fowls  had  claws  of 
iron,  and  every  feather  of  theirs  was  sharper  than  a 
barbed  arrow,  and  so  strong  and  fierce  and  ravenous  they 
were  that  they  would  dart  from  the  air  and  attack  hunters, 
yea,  and  pecking  them  down  would  tear  and  strip  their 
flesh  till  but  a  bony  skeleton  remained  of  that  which  a  few 
minutes  before  had  been  a  strong,  active,  buoyant  man 
seeking  in  the  chase  food  for  his  hearthside. 

To  make  way  with  this  horrid  tribe  of  the  air  was  the 
sixth  command  Eurystheus  laid  upon  Hercules.  To- 
ward Lake  Symphalus  therefore  turned  our  hero.  Again 
he  walked  Arcadian  waysides,  and  again  as  he  fared  the 
spring  sun  shone  above,  and  the  birds  sang  welcome,  and 
the  narcissus  lifted  its  golden  cup,  and  as  he  went  his  heart 
rejoiced  in  his  life,  whatever  the  difficulty  of  his  labour, 
and  in  the  beauty  of  the  world  before  his  eyes.  And  as 
he  walked  also  he  thought  of  how  he  should  accomplish 
the  great  undertaking  upon  which  he  was  bent. 


Hercules  39 

While  thus  deliberating  the  grey-eyed  goddess  of  wisdom, 
Atheii^,  came  to  him — just  as  this  goddess  even  in  our 
day  comes  to  those  who  think — and  she  suggested  to  his 
mind  that  he  should  scare  the  fowl  from  their  retreat  by 
brazen  rattles.  The  goddess  did  even  more  than  put 
the  notion  of  using  a  rattle  in  the  mind  of  Hercules.  It 
is  said  she  actually  brought  him  one,  a  huge,  bronze 
clapper  made  for  him  by  the  forger  of  the  gods,  limping 
Hephaestus. 

Hercules  took  this  rattle  and  mounting  a  neighbouring 
height  shook  it  in  his  great  hands  till  every  hill  echoed 
and  the  very  trees  quivered  with  the  horrid  sound.  And 
the  man-eating  birds  ?  Not  one  remained  hidden.  Each 
and  every  one  rose  terrified  in  the  air,  croaking  and  work- 
ing its  steely  talons  and  sharp-pointed  feathers  in  dire 
fear. 

Now  from  his  quiver  the  hero  fast  picked  his  barbed 
arrows,  and  fast  he  shot  and  every  shot  brought  to  his 
feet  one  of  the  terrible  man-eaters,  till  at  last  he  had  slain 
every  one.  Or,  if  indeed,  any  of  the  tribe  had  escaped, 
they  had  flown  far  away,  for  never  after,  in  all  the  long 
history  of  Lake  Stymphalus,  have  such  creatures  ap- 
peared again  above  its  fair  waters. 

So  ended  the  sixth  labour  of  Hercules. 

THE  SEVENTH  LABOUR  —  CAPTURING  THE  CRETAN  BULL 

Just  as  Zeus  who,  as  we  said  in  the  beginning,  was  King 
of  all  heaven  that  is  the  air  and  clouds,  so  Posidon  was 
King  of  the  sea.  With  his  queen,  Amphitrite,  he  lived 
far  down  underneath  the  waves,  and  dwelt  in  a  palace 
splendid  with  all  the  beautiful  things  of  the  deep. 

In  the  midst  of  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
where  Posidon  had  his  home,  lies  an  island  called  Crete, 


40  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  long  ago  in  the  days  when  Hercules  laboured,  a  King, 
whose  name  was  Minos,  ruled  over  this  land.  The 
island  is  long  and  narrow  and  has  much  sea  coast,  and 
because  of  this  fact  King  Minos  stood  in  intimate  relations 
with  the  god  of  the  sea. 

Now  one  day  in  an  especial  burst  of  friendliness,  Minos 
vowed  to  sacrifice  to  Posidon  whatever  should  come  out  of 
the  salt  waters.  The  god  in  pleasure  at  the  vow,  and  to 
test  mayhap  the  devotion  of  Minos,  sent  at  once  a  beauti- 
ful bull  leaping  and  swimming  through  the  waves.  When 
the  creature  had  come  to  the  rocky  coast  and  made  land, 
its  side  shone  with  such  beauty,  and  its  ivory-white  horns 
garlanded  with  lilies  set  so  like  a  crown  above  its  graceful 
head  that  Minos  and  all  the  people  who  saw  it  mar- 
velled that  anywhere  could  have  grown  such  a  bull. 
And  a  sort  of  greed  and  deceit  seized  Minos  as  he  gazed, 
and  for  his  sacrifice  to  Posidon  he  resolved  to  use  another 
bull.  And  so  he  ordered  his  herdsman  to  take  this  fair 
creature  that  had  come  from  the  sea  and  to  put  it  among 
his  herd,  and  also  to  bring  forth  another  for  the  offering. 

Because  of  this  avarice  of  Minos  the  god  below  the 
waves  was  angry  and  he  made  the  bull  wild  and  furious, 
so  that  no  herdsman  dared  approach  to  feed  or  care  for  it. 
For  his  seventh  task  Eurystheus  commanded  Hercules  to 
fetch  him  this  mad  bull  of  Crete. 

Hercules  accordingly  boarded  one  of  the  ships  that 
plied  in  that  far-off  day,  as  well  as  in  this  time  of  ours, 
between  the  rocky  coast  of  Crete  and  the  fair  land  of 
Hellas,  and  in  due  time  the  hero  came  to  Minos'  court. 
''I  have  come,  sire,"  said  Hercules,  ''for  the  mad  bull 
that  terrifies  thy  herdsmen  and  is  rumoured  beyond 
capture."  ''Ay,  young  man,"  cried  the  king,  "thou hast 
come  for  my  bull  and  my  bull  shalt  thou  have.     When 


Hercules  41 

thou  hast  taken  it,  it  is  thine,"  and  the  King  laughed 
grimly,  for  the  strength  and  fury  of  the  creature  he  deemed 
beyond  any  man's  control. 

Hercules  sought  the  grove  where  Posidon's  gift  had 
strayed  from  its  fellows,  and  there  deftly  seizing  it  by 
the  horns,  he  bound  its  feet  with  stout  straps  of  bull's 
hide  and  its  horns  he  padded  with  moss  of  the  sea  from 
which  it  came,  and  so  having  made  it  powerless  he  lifted 
it  to  his  shoulders  and  carried  it  to  the  shore.  A  swift 
black  ship  was  just  spreading  sail  from  Crete,  and  enter- 
ing upon  it  the  hero  soon  ended  his  journey  and  laid  his 
capture  before  Eurystheus. 

A  day  or  two  later  Hercules  loosed  the  bull,  which, 
after  wandering  through  the  woodlands  of  Arcadia, 
crossed  the  isthmus  and  came  to  the  plains  of  Marathon, 
whence,  after  doing  much  damage,  it  swam  off  to  sea  and 
was  never  heard  of  after. 

So  far  we  have  told  how  Hercules  accomplished  seven 
of  the  tasks  laid  upon  him.  Space  does  not  permit  us  to 
recount  in  detail  the  other  five.  The  eighth  task  was  to 
bring  to  Eurystheus  the  man-eating  mares  of  the  King  of 
Windy  Thrace.  The  ninth  task  was  to  fetch  a  girdle 
which  Ares,  god  of  war,  had  given  the  Queen  of  the 
Amazons — an  exceedingly  difficult  labour,  for  the  Ama- 
zons were  a  nation  of  women-warriors  renowned  for 
valour.  For  the  tenth  task  Eurystheus  demanded  the 
purple  oxen  of  a  famous  giant  who  dwelt  on  an  island  far 
out  in  the  ocean.  The  eleventh  task  was  to  bring  apples 
from  the  garden  of  the  Hesperides — golden  apples 
guarded  by  a  dragon  with  a  hundred  heads,  no  one  of 
which  ever  closed  its  eyes  in  sleep.  And  the  twelfth  and 
last  task,  which  was  to  free  the  mighty  Hercules  from  his 


42  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

bondage  to  cowardly  Eurystheus,  was  to  fetch  Cerberus, 
the  three-headed  dog,  who  guarded  the  entrance  to 
Hades,  the  unseen  abode  of  departed  spirits. 

Each  and  every  one  of  these  labours  the  strong  hero 
accomplished.  Having  won  his  freedom  and  gained  the 
honours  promised  by  the  priestess  at  Delphi  many  years 
before,  Hercules  worked  many  a  noble  deed  and  finally 
in  reward  for  his  much  enduring  and  his  aid  to  mortals,  he 
was  carried  upon  a  thunder  cloud  to  the  upper  air,  and 
entered  into  the  very  gates  of  heaven. 


CHAPTER    III 

DANIEL 

IT  PLEASED  Darius  to  set  over  the  kingdom  an 
hundred  and  twenty  princes,  which  should  be  over 
the  whole  kingdom. 

And  over  these  three  presidents;  of  whom  Daniel  was 
first:  that  the  princes  might  give  accounts  unto  them,  and 
the  King  should  have  no  damage. 

Then  this  Daniel  was  preferred  above  the  presidents- 
and  princes,  because  an  excellent  spirit  was  in  him ;  and 
the  King  thought  to  set  him  over  the  whole  realm. 

Then  the  presidents  and  princes  sought  to  find  oc- 
casion against  Daniel  concerning  the  kingdom ;  but  they 
could  find  none  occasion  nor  fault ;  forasmuch  as  he  was 
faithful,  neither  was  there  any  error  or  fault  found  in  him. 

Then  said  these  men,  We  shall  not  find  any  occasion 
against  this  Daniel,  except  we  find  it  against  him  con- 
cerning the  law  of  his  God. 

Then  these  presidents  and  princes  assembled  together 
to  the  King,  and  said  thus  unto  him,  King  Darius,  live 
for  ever. 

All  the  presidents  of  the  kingdom,  the  governors,  and 
the  princes,  the  counsellors,  and  the  captains,  have  con- 
sulted together  to  establish  a  royal  statute,  and  to  make 
a  firm  decree,  that  whosoever  shall  ask  a  petition  of  any 
god  or  man  for  thirty  days,  save  of  thee,  O  King,  he  shall 
be  cast  into  the  den  of  lions. 

Now,  O  King,  establish  the  decree,  and  sign  the  writ- 
43 


44  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

itig,  that  it  be  not  changed,  according  to  the  law  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians,  which  altereth  not. 

Wherefore  King  Darius  signed  the  writing  and  the 
decree. 

Now  when  Daniel  knew  that  the  writing  was  signed, 
he  went  into  his  house;  and  his  windows  being  open  in 
his  chamber  toward  Jerusalem,  he  kneeled  upon  his 
knees  three  times  a  day,  and  prayed,  and  gave  thanks 
before  his  God,  as  he  did  aforetime. 

Then  these  men  assembled,  and  found  Daniel  praying 
and  making  supplication  before  his  God. 

Then  they  came  near,  and  spake  before  the  King  con- 
cerning the  King's  decree;  Hast  thou  not  signed  a  decree, 
that  every  man  that  shall  ask  a  petition  of  any  god  or 
man  within  thirty  days,  save  of  thee,  O  King,  shall  be  cast 
into  the  den  of  lions?  The  King  answered  and  said, 
The  thing  is  true,  according  to  the  law  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  which  altereth  not. 

Then  answered  they  and  said  before  the  King, 
That  Daniel,  which  is  of  the  children  of  the  cap- 
tivity of  Judah,  regardeth  not  thee,  O  King,  nor  the 
decree  that  thou  hast  signed,  but  maketh  his  petition 
three  times  a  day. 

Then  the  King,  when  he  heard  these  words,  was  sore 
displeased  with  himself,  and  set  his  heart  on  Daniel  to 
deliver  him:  and  he  laboured  till  the  going  down  of  the 
sun  to  deliver  him. 

Then  these  men  assembled  unto  the  King,  and  said  unto 
the  King,  Know,  O  King,  that  the  law  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians  is,  That  no  decree  nor  statute  which  the  King 
establisheth  may  be  changed. 

Then  the  King  commanded,  and  they  brought  Daniel, 
and  cast  him  into  the  den  of  lions.     Now  the  King  spake 


1 


Daniel  45 

and  said  unto  Daniel,  Thy  God  whom  thou  servest  con- 
tinually, he  will  deliver  thee. 

And  a  stone  was  brought,  and  laid  upon  the  mouth  of 
the  den;  and  the  King  sealed  it  with  his  own  signet,  and 
with  the  signet  of  his  lords;  that  the  purpose  might  not 
be  changed  concerning  Daniel. 

Then  the  King  went  to  his  palace,  and  passed  the 
night  fasting:  neither  were  instruments  of  music  brought 
before  him:  and  his  sleep  went  from  him. 

Then  the  King  arose  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 
went  in  haste  unto  the  den  of  lions. 

And  when  he  came  to  the  den,  he  cried  with  a  lamen- 
table voice  unto  Daniel;  and  the  King  spake  and  said  to 
Daniel,  O  Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  God,  is  thy  God, 
whom  thou  servest  continually,  able  to  deliver  thee  from 
the  lie  is? 

Then  said  Daniel  unto  the  King,  O  King,  live  for  ever. 

My  God  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath  shut  the  lions' 
mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt  me:  forasmuch  as  be- 
fore him  innocency  was  found  in  me:  and  also  before 
thee,  O  King,  have  I  done  no  hurt. 

Then  was  the  King  exceeding  glad  for  him,  and  com- 
manded that  they,  should  take  Daniel  up  out  of  the  den. 
So  Daniel  was  taken  up  out  of  the  den,  and  no  manner 
of  hurt  was  found  upon  him,  because  he  believed  in  his 
God. 


CHAPTER    IV 

DAVID 

NOW  the  Philistines  gathered  together  their 
armies  to  battle,  and  were  gathered  together 
at  Shochoh,  which  belongeth  to  Judah,  and  pitched 
between  Shochoh  and  Azekah,  in  Ephes-dammim. 

And  Saul  and  the  men  of  Israel  were  gathered  together, 
and  pitched  by  the  valley  of  Elah,  and  set  the  battle  in 
array  against  the  Philistines. 

And  the  Philistines  stood  on  a  mountain  on  the  one 
side,  and  Israel  stood  on  a  mountain  on  the  other  side; 
and  there  was  a  valley  between  them. 

And  there  went  out  a  champion  out  of  the  camp  of 
the  Phihstines,  named  Goliath,  of  Gath,  whose  height 
was  six  cubits  and  a  span. 

And  he  had  an  helmet  of  brass  upon  his  head,  and  he 
was  armed  with  a  coat  of  mail;  and  the  weight  of  the 
coat  was  five  thousand  shekels  of  brass. 

And  he  had  greaves  of  brass  upon  his  legs,  and  a  target 
of  brass  between  his  shoulders. 

And  the  staff  of  his  spear  was  like  a  weaver's  beam; 
and  his  spear's  head  weighed  six  hundred  shekels  of 
iron;  and  one  bearing  a  shield  went  before  him. 

And  he  stood  and  cried  unto  the  armies  of  Israel,  and 
said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  come  out  to  set  your  battle 
in  array .f*  am  not  I  a  Philistine,  and  ye  servants  to  Saul? 
choose  you  a  man  for  you,  and  let  him  come  down  to  me. 

If  he  be  able  to  fight  with  me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  will 
46 


David  47 

we  be  your  servants:  but  if  I  prevail  against  him,  and 
kill  him,  then  shall  ye  be  our  servants,  and  serve  us. 

And  the  Philistine  said,  I  defy  the  armies  of  Israel 
this  day;  give  me  a  man,  that  we  may  fight  together. 

When  Saul  and  all  Israel  heard  those  words  of  the 
Philistine,  they  were  dismayed,  and  greatly  afraid. 

Now  David  was  the  son  of  that  Ephrathite  of  Beth- 
lehem-judah,  whose  name  was  Jesse;  and  he  had  eight 
sons:  and  the  man  went  among  men  for  an  old  man  in 
the  days  of  Saul. 

And  the  three  eldest  sons  of  Jesse  went  and  followed 
Saul  to  the  battle:  and  the  names  of  his  three  sons  that 
went  to  the  battle  were  Eliab  the  firstborn,  and  next  unto 
him  Abinadab,  and  the  third  Shammah. 

And  David  was  the  youngest:  and  the  three  eldest 
followed  Saul. 

But  David  went  and  returned  from  Saul  to  feed  his 
father's  sheep  at  Bethlehem. 

And  the  Philistine  drew  near  morning  and  evening, 
and  presented  himself  forty  days. 

And  Jesse  said  unto  David  his  son.  Take  now  for  thy 
brethren  an  ephah  of  this  parched  corn,  and  these  ten 
loaves,  and  run  to  the  camp  to  thy  brethren; 

And  carry  these  ten  cheeses  unto  the  captain  of  their 
thousand,  and  look  how  thy  brethren  fare,  and  take  their 
pledge. 

Now  Saul,  and  they,  and  all  the  men  of  Israel,  were  in 
the  valley  of  Elah,  fighting  with  the  Philistines. 

And  David  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  left  the 
sheep  with  a  keeper,  and  took,  and  went,  as  Jesse  had 
commanded  him ;  and  he  came  to  the  trench,  as  the  host 
was  going  forth  to  the  fight,  and  shouted  for  the 
battle. 


48  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

For  Israel  and  the  Philistines  had  put  the  battle  in 
array  army  against  army. 

And  David  left  his  carriage  in  the  hand  of  the  keeper  of 
the  carriage,  and  ran  into  the  army,  and  came  and  saluted 
his  brethren. 

And  as  he  talked  with  them,  behold,  there  came  up  the 
champion,  the  Philistine  of  Gath,  Goliath  by  name,  out 
of  the  armies  of  the  Philistines,  and  spake  according  to 
the  same  words;  and  David  heard  them. 

And  all  the  men  of  Israel,  when  they  saw  the  man,  fled 
from  him,  and  were  sore  afraid. 

And  the  men  of  Israel  said.  Have  ye  seen  this  man 
that  is  come  up?  surely  to  defy  Israel  is  he  come  up; 
and  it  shall  be,  that  the  man  who  killeth  him,  the  King 
will  enrich  him  with  great  riches,  and  will  give  him  his 
daughter,  and  make  his  father's  house  free  in  Israel. 

And  David  spake  to  the  men  that  stood  by  him,  saying, 
What  shall  be  done  to  the  man  that  killeth  this  Philistine, 
and  taketh  away  the  reproach  from  Israel?  for  who  is 
this  uncircumcised  Philistine,  that  he  should  defy  the 
armies  of  the  living  God? 

And  the  people  answered  him  after  this  manner, 
saying,  So  shall  it  be  done  to  the  man  that  killeth 
him. 

And  Eliab  his  eldest  brother  heard  when  he  spake  unto 
the  men;  and  Eliab's  anger  was  kindled  against  David, 
and  he  said,  Why  camest  thou  down  hither?  and  with 
whom  hast  thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness? 
I  know  thy  pride,  and  the  naughtiness  of  thine  heart; 
for  thou  art  come  down  that  thou  mightest  see  the  battle. 

And  David  said.  What  have  I  now  done?  Is  there 
not  a  cause? 

And  he  turned  from  him  toward  another,  and  spake 


David  49 

after  the  same  manner:  and  the  people  answered  him 
again  after  the  former  manner. 

And  when  the  words  were  heard  which  David  spake, 
they  rehearsed  them  before  Saul:   and  he  sent  for  him. 

And  David  said  to  Saul,  Let  no  man's  heart  fail  be- 
cause of  him;  thy  servant  will  go  and  fight  with  this 
Philistine. 

And  Saul  said  to  David,  Thou  art  not  able  to  go  against 
this  Philistine  to  fight  with  him :  for  thou  art  but  a  youth, 
and  he  a  man  of  war  from  his  youth. 

And  David  said  unto  Saul,  Thy  servant  kept  his  father's 
sheep,  and  there  came  a  lion,  and  a  bear,  and  took  a 
lamb  out  of  the  flock: 

And  I  went  out  after  him,  and  smote  him,  and  de- 
livered it  out  of  his  mouth:  and  when  he  arose  against 
me,  I  caught  him  by  his  beard,  and  smote  him,  and  slew 
him. 

Thy  servant  slew  both  the  lion  and  the  bear:  and  this 
uncircumcised  Philistine  shall  be  as  one  of  them,  seeing 
he  hath  defied  the  armies  of  the  living  God. 

David  said  moreover.  The  Lord  that  delivered  me  out 
of  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear, 
he  will  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philistine.  And 
Saul  said  unto  David,  Go,  and  the  Lord  be  with  thee. 

And  Saul  armed  David  with  his  armour,  and  he  put 
an  helmet  of  brass  upon  his  head;  also  he  armed  him 
with  a  coat  of  mail. 

And  David  girded  his  sword  upon  his  armour,  and  he 
essayed  to  go;  for  he  had  not  proved  it.  And  David 
said  unto  Saul,  I  cannot  go  with  these;  for  I  have  not 
proved  them.     And  David  put  them  off  him. 

And  he  took  his  staff  in  his  hand,  and  chose  him  five 
smooth  stones  out  of  the  brook,  and  put  them  in  a  shep- 


50  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

herd's  bag  which  he  had,  even  in  a  scrip;  and  his  sling 
was  in  his  hand:  and  he  drew  near  to  the  Philistine. 

And  the  Philistine  came  on  and  drew  near  unto  David; 
and  the  man  that  bore  the  shield  went  before  him. 

And  when  the  Philistine  looked  about,  and  saw  David, 
he  disdained  him:  for  he  was  but  a  youth,  and  ruddy, 
and  of  a  fair  countenance. 

And  the  Philistine  said  unto  David,  Am  I  a  dog,  that 
thou  comest  to  me  with  staves?  And  the  Philistine 
cursed  David  by  his  gods. 

And  the  Philistine  said  to  David,  Come  to  me,  and  I 
will  give  thy  flesh  unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the 
beasts  of  the  field. 

Then  said  David  to  the  Philistine,  Thou  comest  to  me 
with  a  sword,  and  with  a  spear,  and  with  a  shield:  but 
I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God 
of  the  armies  of  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  defied. 

This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver  thee  into  mine  hand; 
and  I  will  smite  thee,  and  take  thine  head  from  thee; 
and  I  will  give  the  carcasses  of  the  host  of  the  Philistines 
this  day  unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  earth;  that  all  the  earth  may  know  that  there  is  a 
God  in  Israel. 

And  all  this  assembly  shall  know  that  the  Lord 
saveth  not  with  sword  and  spear:  for  the  battle  is  the 
Lord's  and  He  will  give  you  into  our  hands. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  Philistine  arose,  and 
came  and  drew  nigh  to  meet  David,  that  David  hasted, 
and  ran  toward  the  army  to  meet  the  Philistine. 

And  David  put  his  hand  to  his  bag,  and  took  thence 
a  stone,  and  slang  it,  and  smote  the  Philistine  in  his  fore- 
head, that  the  stone  sunk  into  his  forehead;  and  he  fell 
upon  his  face  to  the  earth. 


Ddvid  <i 

So  David  prevailed  over  the  Philistine  with  a  sling  and 
^ith  a  stone,  and  smote  the  Philistine,  and  slew  him; 
but  there  was  no  sword  in  the  hand  of  David. 

Therefore  David  ran,  and  stood  upon  the  Philistine, 
and  took  his  sword,  and  drew  it  out  of  the  sheath  thereof, 
and  slew  him,  and  cut  off  his  head  therewith.  And  when 
the  Philistines  saw  their  champion  was  dead,  they  fled. 

And  the  men  of  Israel  and  of  Judah  arose,  and  shouted, 
and  pursued  the  Philistines,  until  thou  comest  to  the  val- 
ley, and  to  the  gates  of  Ekron.  And  the  wounded  of 
the  Philistines  fell  down  by  the  way  to  Shaaraim,  even 
unto  Gath,  and  unto  Ekron. 

And  the  children  of  Irsael  returned  from  chasing  after 
the  Philistines,  and  they  spoiled  their  tents. 

And  David  took  the  head  of  the  Philistine,  and  brought 
it  to  Jerusalem ;  but  he  put  his  armour  in  his  tent. 

And  when  Saul  saw  David  go  forth  against  the  Philis- 
tine, he  said  unto  Abner,  the  captain  of  the  host,  Abner, 
whose  son  is  this  youth?  And  Abner  said,  As  thy  soul 
liveth,  O  King,  I  cannot  tell. 

And  the  King  said,  Enquire  thou  whose  son  the  strip- 
ling is. 

And  as  David  returned  from  the  slaughter  of  the  Philis- 
tine, Abner  took  him,  and  brought  him  before  Saul  with 
the  head  of  the  Philistine  in  his  hand. 

And  Saul  said  to  him,  Whose  son  art  thou,  thou  young 
man  ?  And  David  answered,  I  am  the  son  of  thy  servant 
Jesse  the  Bethlehemite. 


CHAPTER  V 


ST.    GEORGE 


IN  THE  year  280,  in  a  town  in  Cappadocia,  was 
born  that  great  soldier  and  champion  of  the  op- 
pressed whom  we  call  St.  George.  His  parents  were 
Christians,  and  by  them,  and  especially  by  his  mother, 
he  was  most  carefully  instructed  and  trained. 

When  the  youth  came  to  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
took  up  the  profession  of  arms,  and  since  he  was  gifted 
with  beauty  of  person,  intelligence,  and  an  exquisite 
courtesy,  he  rose  rapidly  to  a  considerable  military  rank. 
Especially  he  pleased  his  imperial  master,  Diocletian. 

One  day  while  the  Emperor,  who  was  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  Apollo,  was  consulting  at  a  shrine  of  that  god 
upon  an  affair  of  much  importance,  from  the  dark  depths 
of  the  cavern  came  forth  a  voice  saying,  "The  just  who 
are  on  the  earth  keep  me  from  telling  the  truth.  By  them 
the  inspiration  of  the  Sacred  Tripod  is  made  a  lie."  At 
once  the  Emperor  was  stricken  with  consternation  and 
asked  who  these  just  people  were.  "Master,"  answered 
one  of  the  priests  of  Apollo,  "they  are  the  Christians." 
This  answer  so  enraged  Diocletian  that  he  rekindled  his 
persecutions. 

Now  from  the  first  the  young  soldier  George  had 
burned  with  indignation  because  of  the  unspeakable 
cruelties  put  upon  Christians,  and  he  had  spoken  out 
boldly  in  defence  of  his  brethren.  His  friends  had 
counselled  silence  and  prudence.     But   George  would 


^L  George  53 

have  none.  He  knew,  however,  that  he  might  be  called 
upon  to  sufifer  at  any  tune,  and  he  hoped  to  do  better 
work  for  the  world  and  to  die  after  braver  effort.  He 
therefore  distributed  his  money  and  his  fine  apparel 
among  the  poor  and  needy,  set  free  all  the  slaves  he 
possessed,  and  went  forth  upon  knightly  travel. 

While  pricking  one  day  through  the  plains  of  Libya  he 
came  to  a  certain  city  called  Silene,  the  people  of  which 
were  bewailing  a  dire  misfortune  that  had  come  upon  them. 
An  enormous  dragon  had  issued  from  a  marsh  neighbour- 
ing the  town  and  had  devoured  all  their  flocks  and  herds. 
Already  the  monster  had  taken  dwelling  near  the  city 
walls,  and  at  such  distance  the  people  had  been  able  to 
keep  him  only  by  granting  him  two  sheep  every  day  for 
his  food  and  drink.  If  they  had  failed  in  this  he  would 
have  come  within  their  walls  and  poisoned  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  with  his  plague-like  breath. 

But  now  already  all  the  flocks  and  herds  had  been  eaten. 
Nothing  remained  to  fill  the  insatiable  maw  of  the  dragon 
but  the  little  people  of  the  homes  and  hearths  of  all  the 
town.  Every  day  two  children  were  now  given  him. 
Each  child  taken  was  under  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  was 
chosen  by  lot.  Thus  it  happened  that  every  house 
and  every  street  and  all  the  public  squares  echoed  with 
the  wailing  of  unhappy  parents  and  the  cries  of  the  in- 
nocents who  were  soon  to  be  offered. 

Now  it  chanced  that  the  King  of  the  city  had  one 
daughter,  an  exceeding  fair  girl  both  in  mind  and  body, 
and  after  many  days  of  the  choosing  of  lots  for  the  sacri- 
fice, and  after  many  a  blooming  girl  and  boy  had  met  an 
unhappy  death,  the  lot  fell  to  this  maiden,  Cleodolinda. 
When  her  father,  the  King,  heard  his  misfortune,  in  his 
despair  he  offered  all  the  gold  in  the  state  treasury  and 


$4  Heroes  Every  Child  ShoaM  Kn&w 

even  half  his  kingdom,  to  redeem  the  maiden.  But  at 
this  many  fathers  and  mothers  who  had  lost  their  children 
murmured  greatly  and  said,  ^'OKing,  art  thou  just? 
By  thy  edict  thou  hast  made  us  desolate.  And  now  be- 
hold thou  wouldst  withhold  thine  own  child!" 

Thus  the  people  spake,  and  speaking  they  waxed 
wroth  greatly,  and  so  joining  together  they  marched 
threatening  to  burn  the  King  in  his  palace  unless  he  de- 
livered the  maiden  to  fulfil  her  lot.  To  such  demands 
the  King  perforce  submitted,  and  at  last  he  asked  only  a 
delay  of  eight  days  which  he  might  spend  with  the  lovely 
girl  and  bewail  her  fate.     This  the  people  granted. 

At  the  end  of  the  time  agreed  to  the  fair  victim  was  led 
forth.  She  fell  at  her  father's  feet  asking  his  blessing 
and  protesting  she  was  ready  to  die  for  her  people.  Then 
amid  tears  and  lamentations  she  was  led  to  the  walls  and 
put  without.  The  gates  were  shut  and  barred  against 
her. 

She  walked  towards  the  dwelling  of  the  dragon,  slowly 
and  painfully,  for  the  road  was  strewn  with  the  bones  of 
her  playmates,  and  she  wept  as  she  went  on  her  way. 

It  was  this  very  morning  that  George,  courageously 
seeking  to  help  the  weak,  and  strong  to  serve  the  truth, 
was  passing  by  in  his  knightly  journeying.  He  saw 
stretched  before  him  the  noisome  path,  and,  moved  to 
see  so  beautiful  a  maiden  in  tears,  he  checked  his  charger 
and  asked  her  why  she  wept.  The  w^hole  pitiful  story 
she  recounted,  to  which  the  valiant  one  answered,  "Fear 
not;  I  will  deliver  you." 

"Oh  noble  youth,"  cried  the  fair  victim,  "tarry  not 
here  lest  you  perish  with  me.     Fly,  I  beseech  you." 

"God  forbid  that  I  should  fly,"  said  George  in  answer; 
"I  will  lift  my  hand  against  this   loathly  thing,  and  I 


St.  George  55 

will  deliver  you  through  the  power  that  lives  in  all  true 
followers  of  Christ." 

At  that  moment  the  dragon  was  seen  coming  forth  from 
his  lair  half  flying  and  half  crawling  towards  them.  "  Fly, 
I  beseech  you,  brave  knight,"  cried  the  fair  girl  trembling, 
"Leave  me  here  to  die." 

But  George  answered  not.  Rather  he  put  spurs  to 
his  horse  and,  calling  upon  his  Lord,  rushed  towards  the 
monster,  and,  after  a  terrible  and  prolonged  combat, 
pinned  the  mighty  hulk  to  the  earth  with  his  lance. 
Then  he  called  to  the  maiden  to  bring  him  her  girdle. 
With  this  be  bound  the  dragon  fast,  and  gave  the  end 
of  the  girdle  into  her  hand,  and  the  subdued  monster 
crawled  after  them  like  a  dog. 

Walking  in  this  way  they  approached  the  city.  All  the 
onlooking  people  were  stricken  with  terror,  but  George 
called  out  to  them  saying,  "Fear  nothing.  Only  believe  in 
Christ,  through  whose  help  I  have  conquered  this  ad- 
versary, and  live  in  accord  with  His  teachings,  and  I  will 
destroy  him  before  your  eyes." 

So  the  King  and  the  people  believed  and  such  a  life  they 
endeavoured  to  live. 

Then  St.  George  slew  the  dragon  and  cut  off  his  head, 
and  the  King  gave  great  treasure  to  the  knight.  But  all 
the  rewards  George  distributed  among  the  sick  and 
necessitous  and  kept  nothing  for  himself,  and  then  he 
went  further  on  his  way  of  helpfulness. 

About  this  time  the  Emperor  Diocletian  issued  an 
edict  which  was  published  the  length  and  breadth  of  his 
empire.  This  edict  was  nailed  to  the  doors  of  temples, 
upon  the  walls  of  public  markets,  in  all  places  people 
frequented,  and  those  who  read  it  read  it  with  terror  and 
hid  their  faces  in  despair.     For  it  condemned  all  Chris- 


56  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

tians.  But  St.  George  when  he  saw  the  wTiting  was  filled 
with  indignation.  That  spirit  and  courage  which  comes 
to  all  of  us  from  communion  with  the  eternal  powers 
heartened  and  strengthened  him,  and  he  tore  down  the 
unhappy  utterance  and  trampled  it  under  foot. 

Thus  prepared  for  death  George  approached  the 
Emperor.  "What  wouldst  thou?"  cried  Diocletian 
angrily,  having  heard  from  his  proconsul  Dacian  that  this 
young  man  deserved  torture.  "Liberty,  sir,  for  the  in- 
nocent Chirstians,"  answered  the  martyr.  "At  the  least 
liberty,  since  their  liberty  can  hurt  no  one." 

"Young  man,"  returned  Diocletian  with  threatening 
looks,  "think  of  thine  own  liberty  and  thy  future." 

Before  George  could  make  answer  the  ill-will  of  the 
tyrant  waxed  to  ardent  hatred  and  he  summoned  guards 
to  take  the  martyr  to  prison.  Once  within  the  dungeon 
the  keepers  threw  him  to  the  ground,  put  his  feet  in  stocks 
and  placed  a  stone  of  great  weight  upon  his  chest.  But 
even  so,  in  the  midst  of  torture,  the  blessed  one  ceased 
not  to  give  thanks  to  God  for  this  opportunity  to  bear 
witness  to  Christ's  teachings. 

The  next  day  they  stretched  the  martyr  on  a  wheel  full 
of  sharp  spokes.  But  a  voice  from  heaven  came  to  com- 
fort him  and  said,  George,  fear  not;  so  it  is  with  those 
who  witness  to  the  truth."  And  there  appeared  to  him 
an  angel  brighter  than  the  sun,  clothed  in  a  white  robe, 
who  stretched  out  a  hand  to  embrace  and  encourage  him 
in  his  pain.  Two  of  the  officers  of  the  prison  who  saw 
this  beautiful  vision  became  Christians  and  from  that  day 
endeavoured  to  live  after  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

There  is  still  another  tale  that  after  George  had  been 
comforted  by  the  angel  who  descended  from  heaven,  his 
tormentors  flung  him  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  lead,  and 


Si.  George  57 

when  they  believed  they  had  subdued  him  by  the  force  of 
his  agonies,  they  brought  him  to  a  temple  to  assist  in 
their  worship,  and  the  people  ran  in  crowds  to  behold  his 
humiliation,  and  the  priests  mocked  him. 

The  Emperor,  seeing  the  constancy  of  George,  once 
more  sought  to  move  him  by  entreaties.  But  the  great 
soldier  refused  to  be  judged  by  words,  only  by  deeds.  He 
even  demanded  to  go  to  see  the  gods  Diocletian  himself 
worshipped. 

The  Emperor,  believing  that  at  length  George  was 
coming  to  his  right  mind,  and  was  about  to  yield,  ordered 
the  Roman  Senate  and  people  to  assemble  in  order  that 
all  might  be  witnesses  of  George's  acknowledgement  of 
his  own,  Diocletian's,  gods. 

When  they  were  thus  gathered  together  in  the  Em- 
peror's temple,  and  the  eyes  of  all  the  people  were  fixed 
upon  the  weak  and  tortured  saint  to  see  what  he  would 
do,  he  drew  near  a  statue  of  the  sun-god  Apollo,  and 
stretching  out  his  hand  toward  the  image  he  said  slowly, 
"Wouldst  thou  that  I  should  offer  thee  sacrifices  as  to  a 
god?"  The  demon  who  was  in  the  statue  made  an- 
swer, 'T  am  not  God.  There  is  but  one  God  and 
Christ  is  his  greatest  prophet."  At  that  very  hour  were 
heard  horrible  wailing  sounds  coming  from  the  mouths 
of  idols  the  world  over,  and  the  statues  of  the  old  gods 
either  all  fell  over  or  crumbled  to  dust.  One  account 
says  that  St.  George  knelt  down  and  prayed,  and  thunder 
and  lightning  from  heaven  fell  upon  the  idols  and  de- 
stroyed them. 

Angry  at  the  breaking  of  their  power,  the  priests  of  the 
gods  cried  to  the  Emperor  that  he  must  rid  himself  of 
so  potent  a  magician  and  cut  off  his  head.  The  priests 
also  incited  the  people  to  lay  hands  on  the  martyr. 


58  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

So  it  was  commanded  that  George,  the  Christian 
knight,  should  be  beheaded.  He  was  dragged  to  the 
place  of  execution,  and  there,  bending  his  neck  to  the 
sword  of  the  executioner  and  absorbed  in  prayer,  he 
received  bravely  and  thankfully  the  stroke  of  death  in 
April,  303. 

So  stands  St.  George  ever  before  the  youth  of  the 
world,  one  of  the  champions  of  Christendom,  a  model  of 
courage,  a  brave  interceder  for  the  oppressed,  an  ex- 
ample of  pure,  firm  and  enduring  doing  for  others,  a  true 
soldier  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER   VI 

KING   ARTHUR 

LONG  years  ago,  there  ruled  over  Britain  a  King 
called  Uther  Pendragon.  A  mighty  prince  was  he, 
and  feared  by  all  men;  yet,  when  he  sought  the  love  of 
the  fair  Igraine  of  Cornwall,  she  would  have  naught  to 
do  with  him,  so  that,  from  grief  and  disappointment, 
Uther  fell  sick,  and  at  last  seemed  like  to  die. 

Now  in  those  days,  there  lived  a  famous  magician 
named  Merlin,  so  powerful  that  he  could  change  his  form 
at  will,  or  even  make  himself  invisible;  nor  was  there  any 
place  so  remote  but  that  he  could  reach  it  at  once,  merely 
by  wishing  himself  there.  One  day,  suddenly  he  stood 
at  Uther's  bedside,  and  said:  ''Sir  King,  I  know  thy 
grief,  and  am  ready  to  help  thee.  Only  promise  to  give 
me,  at  his  birth,  the  son  that  shall  be  born  to  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  have  thy  heart's  desire."  To  this  the  King 
agreed  joyfully,  and  Merlin  kept  his  word:  for  he  gave 
Uther  the  form  of  one  whom  Igraine  had  loved  dearly, 
and  so  she  took  him  willingly  for  her  husband. 

When  the  time  had  come  that  a  child  should  be  born  to 
the  King  and  Queen,  Merlin  appeared  before  Uther  to 
remind  him  of  his  promise;  and  Uther  swore  it  should 
be  as  he  had  said.  Three  days  later,  a  prince  was  born 
and,  with  pomp  and  ceremony,  was  christened  by  the 
name  of  Arthur;  but  immediately  thereafter,  the  King 
commanded  that  the  child  should  be  carried  to  the  postern- 
gate,  there  to  be  given  to  the  old  man  who  would  be  found 
waiting  without. 

59 


6o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Not  long  after,  Uther  fell  sick,  and  he  knew  that  his 
end  was  come;  so,  by  Merlin's  advice,  he  called  together 
his  knights  and  barons,  and  said  to  them:  "My  death 
draws  near.  I  charge  you,  therefore,  that  ye  obey  my 
son  even  as  ye  have  obeyed  me ;  and  my  curse  upon  him 
if  he  claim  not  the  crown  when  he  is  a  man  grown. '^ 
Then  the  King  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  died. 

Scarcely  was  Uther  laid  in  his  grave  before  disputes 
arose.  Few  of  the  nobles  had  seen  Arthur  or  even  heard 
of  him,  and  not  one  of  them  would  have  been  willing  to 
be  ruled  by  a  child;  rather,  each  thought  himself  fitted 
to  be  King,  and,  strengthening  his  own  castle,  made  war 
on  his  neighbours  until  confusion  alone  was  supreme 
and  the  poor  groaned  because  there  was  none  to  help 
them. 

Now  when  Merlin  carried  away  Arthur — for  Merlin 
was  the  old  man  who  had  stood  at  the  postern-gate — he 
had  known  all  that  would  happen,  and  had  taken  the 
child  to  keep  him  safe  from  the  fierce  barons  until  he 
should  be  of  age  to  rule  wisely  and  well,  and  perform  all 
the  wonders  prophesied  of  him.  He  gave  the  child  to  the 
care  of  the  good  knight  Sir  Ector  to  bring  up  with  his 
son  Kay,  but  revealed  not  to  him  that  it  was  the  son  of 
Uther  Pendragon  that  was  given  into  his  charge. 

At  last,  when  years  had  passed  and  Arthur  was  grown 
a  tall  youth  well  skilled  in  knightly  exercises.  Merlin  went 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  advised  him  that 
he  should  call  together  at  Christmas-time  all  the  chief 
men  of  the  realm  to  the  great  cathedral  in  London; 
''For,"  said  Merlin,  ''there  shall  be  seen  a  great  marvel 
by  which  it  shall  be  made  clear  to  all  men  who  is  the 
lawful  King  of  this  land."  The  Archbishop  did  as  Merlin 
counselled.     Under  pain  of  a  fearful  curse,   he  bade 


King  Arthur  6i 

barons  and  knights  come  to  London  to  keep  the  feast, 
and  to  pray  heaven  to  send  peace  to  the  realm. 

The  people  hastened  to  obey  the  Archbishop's  com- 
mands, and,  from  all  sides,  barons  and  knights  came 
riding  in  to  keep  the  birth-feast  of  our  Lord.  And  when 
they  had  prayed,  and  were  coming  forth  from  the  ca- 
thedral, they  saw  a  strange  sight.  There,  in  the  open  space 
before  the  church,  stood,  on  a  great  stone,  an  anvil  thrust 
through  with  a  sword;  and  on  the  stone  were  written 
these  words:  ''Whoso  can  draw  forth  this  sword,  is 
rightful  King  of  Britain  born." 

At  once  there  were  fierce  quarrels,  each  man  clamour- 
ing to  be  the  first  to  try  his  fortune,  none  doubting  his 
own  success.  Then  the  Archbishop  decreed  that  each 
should  make  the  venture  in  turn,  from  the  greatest  baron 
to  the  least  knight,  and  each  in  turn,  having  put  forth 
his  utmost  strength,  failed  to  move  the  sword  one  inch, 
and  drew  back  ashamed.  So  the  Archbishop  dismissed 
the  company,  and  having  appointed  guards  to  watch 
over  the  stone,  sent  messengers  through  all  the  land  to 
give  word  of  great  jousts  to  be  held  in  London  at  Easter, 
when  each  knight  could  give  proof  of  his  skill  and  courage, 
and  try  whether  the  adventure  of  the  sword  was  for  him. 

Among  those  who  rode  to  London  at  Easter  was  the 
good  Sir  Ector,  and  with  him  his  son.  Sir  Kay,  newly 
made  a  knight,  and  the  young  Arthur.  When  the  morn- 
ing came  that  the  jousts  should  begin.  Sir  Kay  and  Arthur 
mounted  their  horses  and  set  out  for  the  lists ;  but  before 
they  reached  the  field,  Kay  looked  and  saw  that  he  had 
left  his  sword  behind.  Immediately  Arthur  turned  back 
to  fetch  it  for  him,  only  to  find  the  house  fast  shut,  for  all 
were  gone  to  view  the  tournament.  Sore  vexed  was 
Arthur,   fearing  lest  his  brother  Kay  should  lose  his 


62  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

chance  of  gaining  glory,  till,  of  a  sudden,  he  bethought 
him  of  the  sword  in  the  great  anvil  before  the  cathedral. 
Thither  he  rode  with  all  speed,  and  the  guards  having 
deserted  their  post  to  view  the  tournament,  there  was 
none  to  forbid  him  the  adventure.  He  leapt  from  his 
horse,  seized  the  hilt,  and  instantly  drew  forth  the 
sword  as  easily  as  from  a  scabbard;  then,  mount- 
ing his  horse  and  thinking  no  marvel  of  what  he 
had  done,  he  rode  after  his  brother  and  handed  him 
the  weapon. 

When  Kay  looked  at  it,  he  saw  at  once  that  it  was  the 
wondrous  sword  from  the  stone.  In  great  joy  he  sought 
his  father,  and  showing  it  to  him,  said:  ''Then  must  I 
be  King  of  Britain."  But  Sir  Ector  bade  him  say  how 
he  came  by  the  sword,  and  when  Sir  Kay  told  how  Arthur 
had  brought  it  to  him.  Sir  Ector  bent  his  knee  to  the  boy, 
and  said:  "  Sir,  I  perceive  that  ye  are  my  King,  and  here 
I  tender  you  my  homage";  and  Kay  did  as  his  father. 
Then  the  three  sought  the  Archbishop,  to  whom  they 
related  all  that  had  happened ;  and  he,  much  marvelling, 
called  the  people  together  to  the  great  stone,  and  bade 
Arthur  thrust  back  the  sword  and  draw  it  forth  again  in 
the  presence  of  all,  which  he  did  with  ease.  But  an 
angry  murmur  arose  from  the  barons,  who  cried  that 
what  a  boy  could  do,  a  man  could  do;  so,  at  the  Arch- 
bishop's word,  the  sword  was  put  back,  and  each  man, 
whether  baron  or  knight,  tried  in  his  turn  to  draw  it 
forth,  and  failed.  Then,  for  the  third  time,  Arthur  drew 
forth  the  sword.  Immediately  there  arose  from  the 
people  a  great  shout:  ''Arthur  is  Kingl  Arthur  is 
King!  We  will  have  no  King  but  Arthur";  and,  though 
the  great  barons  scowled  and  threatened,  they  fell  on 
their  knees  before  him  while  the  Archbishop  placed  the 


King  Arthur  63 

crown  upon  his  head,  and  swore  to  obey  him  faithfully 
as  their  lord  and  sovereign. 

Thus  Arthur  was  made  King;  and  to  all  he  did  justice, 
righting  wrongs  and  giving  to  all  their  dues.  Nor  was 
he  forgetful  of  those  that  had  been  his  friends ;  for  Kay, 
whom  he  loved  as  a  brother,  he  made  Seneschal  and 
chief  of  his  household,  and  to  Sir  Ector,  his  foster  father, 
he  gave  broad  lands. 

Thus  Arthur  was  made  King,  but  he  had  to  fight  for 
his  own;  for  eleven  great  King  sdrew  together  and  re- 
fused to  acknowledge  him  as  their  lord,  and  chief  amongst 
the  rebels  was  King  Lot  of  Orknev  who  had  married 
Arthur's  sister,  Bellicent. 

By  Merlin's  advice,  Arthur  sent  for  help  overseas,  to 
Ban  and  Bors,  the  two  great  Kings  who  ruled  in  Gaul. 
With  their  aid,- he  overthrew  his  foes  in  a  great  battle 
near  the  river  Trent ;  and  then  he  passed  with  them  into 
their  own  lands  and  helped  them  drive  out  their  enemies. 
So  there  was  ever  great  friendship  between  Arthur  and 
the  Kings  Ban  and  Bors,  and  all  their  kindred;  and 
afterward  some  of  the  most  famous  Knights  of  the 
Round  Table  were  of  that  kin. 

Then  King  Arthur  set  himself  to  restore  order  through- 
out his  kingdom.  To  all  who  would  submit  and  amend 
their  evil  ways,  he  showed  kindness;  but  those  who  per- 
sisted in  oppression  and  wrong  he  removed,  putting  in 
their  places  others  who  would  deal  justly  with  the  people. 
And  because  the  land  had  become  overrun  with  forest 
during  the  days  of  misrule,  he  cut  roads  through  the 
thickets,  that  no  longer  wild  beasts  and  men,  fiercer  than 
the  beasts,  should  lurk  in  their  gloom,  to  the  harm  of  the 
weak  and  defenceless.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  soon 
the  peasant  ploughed  his  fields  in   safety,  and  where 


64  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

had  been  wastes,  men  dwelt  again  in  peace  and  pros- 
perity. 

Amongst  the  lesser  Kings  whom  Arthur  helped  to  re- 
build their  towns  and  restore  order,  was  King  Leode- 
grance  of  Cameliard.  Now  Leodegrance  had  one  fair 
child,  his  daughter  Guenevere;  and  from  the  time  that 
first  he  saw  her,  Arthur  gave  her  all  his  love.  So  he 
sought  counsel  of  Merlin,  his  chief  adviser.  Merlin 
heard  the  King  sorrowfully,  and  he  said:  ''Sir  King, 
when  a  man's  heart  is  set,  he  may  not  change.  Yet  had 
it  been  well  if  ye  had  loved  another." 

So  the  King  sent  his  knights  to  Leodegrance,  to  ask  of 
him  his  daughter;  and  Leodegrance  consented,  rejoicing 
to  wed  her  to  so  good  and  knightly  a  King.  With  great 
pomp,  the  princess  was  conducted  to  Canterbury,  and 
there  the  King  met  her,  and  they  two  were  wed  by  the 
Archbishop  in  the  great  Cathedral,  amid  the  rejoicings 
of  the  people. 

On  that  same  day  did  Arthur  found  his  Order  of  the 
Round  Table,  the  fame  of  which  was  to  spread  through- 
out Christendom  and  endure  through  all  time.  Now 
the  Round  Table  had  been  made  for  King  Uther  Pen- 
dragon  by  Merlin,  who  had  meant  thereby  to  set  forth 
plainly  to  all  men  the  roundness  of  the  earth.  After 
Uther  died,  King  Leodegrance  had  possessed  it;  but 
when  Arthur  was  wed,  he  sent  it  to  him  as  a  gift,  and 
great  was  the  King's  joy  at  receiving  it.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  knights  might  take  their  places  about  it,  and 
for  them  Merlin  made  sieges,  or  seats.  One  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  did  Arthur  knight  at  that  great  feast; 
thereafter,  if  any  sieges  were  empty,  at  the  high  festival 
of  Pentecost  new  knights  were  ordained  to  fill  them,  and 
by  magic  was  the  name  of  each  knight  found  inscribed, 


King  Arthur  65 

in  letters  of  gold,  in  his  proper  siege.  One  seat  only 
long  remained  unoccupied,  and  that  was  the  Siege  Peri- 
lous. No  knight  might  occupy  it  until  the  coming  of 
Sir  Galahad;  for,  without  danger  to  his  life,  none  might 
sit  there  who  was  not  free  from  all  stain  of  sin. 

With  pomp  and  ceremony  did  each  knight  take  upon 
him  the  vows  of  true  knighthood:  to  obey  the  King; 
to  show  mercy  to  all  who  asked  it;  to  defend  the  weak; 
and  for  no  worldly  gain  to  fight  in  a  wrongful  cause :  and 
all  the  knights  rejoiced  together,  doing  honour  to  Arthur 
and  to  his  Queen.  Then  they  rode  forth  to  right  the 
wrong  and  help  the  oppressed,  and  by  their  aid  the 
King  held  his  realm  in  peace,  doing  justice  to  all. 

Now,  as  time  passed.  King  Arthur  gathered  into  his 
Order  of  the  Round  Table  knights  whose  peers  shall 
never  be  found  in  any  age;  and  foremost  amongst  them 
all  was  Sir  Launcelot  du  Lac.  Such  was  his  strength  that 
none  against  whom  he  laid  lance  in  rest  could  keep  the 
saddle,  and  no  shield  was  proof  against  his  sword  dint; 
but  for  his  courtesy  even  more  than  for  his  courage  and 
strength.  Sir  Launcelot  was  famed  far  and  near.  Gentle 
he  was  and  ever  the  first  to  rejoice  in  the  renown  of  an- 
other; and  in  the  jousts,  he  would  avoid  encounter  with 
the  young  and  untried  knight,  letting  him  pass  to  gain 
glory  if  he  might. 

It  would  take  a  great  book  to  record  all  the  famous 
deeds  of  Sir  Launcelot,  and  all  his  adventures.  He  was 
of  Gaul,  for  his  father.  King  Ban,  ruled  over  Benwick; 
he  was  named  Launcelot  du  Lac  by  the  Lady  of  the  Lake 
who  reared  him  when  his  mother  died.  Early  he  won 
renown;  then,  when  there  was  peace  in  his  own  land,  he 
passed  into  Britain,  to  Arthur's  Court,  where  the  King 
received  him  gladly,  and  made  him  Knight  of  the  Round 


66  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Table  and  took  him  for  his  trustiest  friend.  And  so 
it  was  that,  when  Guenevere  was  to  be  brought  to  Canter- 
bury, to  be  married  to  the  King,  Launcelot  was  chief  of 
the  knights  sent  to  wait  upon  her,  and  of  this  came  the 
sorrow  of  later  days.  For,  from  the  moment  he  saw  her, 
Sir  Launcelot  loved  Guenevere,  for  her  sake  remaining 
wifeless  all  his  days,  and  in  all  things  being  her  faithful 
knight.  But  busy-bodies  and  mischief-makers  spoke 
evil  of  Sir  Launcelot  and  the  Queen,  and  from  their  talk 
came  the  undoing  of  the  King  and  the  downfall  of  his 
great  work.  But  that  was  after  long  years,  and  after 
many  true  knights  had  lived  their  lives,  honouring  the 
King  and  Queen,  and  doing  great  deeds. 

Before  Merlin  passed  from  the  world  of  men,  he  had 
uttered  many  marvellous  prophesies,  and  one  that  boded 
ill  to  King  Arthur;  for  he  foretold  that,  in  the  days  to 
come,  a  son  of  Arthur's  sister  should  stir  up  bitter  war 
against  the  King,  and  at  last  a  great  battle  should  be 
fought,  when  many  a  brave  knight  should  find  his  doom. 

Now,  among  the  nephews  of  Arthur,  was  one  most  dis- 
honourable; his  name  was  Mordred.  No  knightly  deed 
had  he  ever  done,  and  he  hated  to  hear  the  good  report 
of  others  because  he  himself  was  a  coward  and  envious. 
But  of  all  the  Round  Table  there  was  none  that  Mordred 
hated  more  than  Sir  Launcelot  du  Lac,  whom  all  true 
knights  held  in  most  honour;  and  not  the  less  did  Mor- 
dred hate  Launcelot  that  he  was  the  knight  whom  Queen 
Guenevere  had  in  most  esteem.  So,  at  last,  his  jealous 
rage  passing  all  bounds,  he  spoke  evil  of  the  Queen  and 
of  Launcelot,  saying  that  they  were  traitors  to  the  King. 
Now  Sir  Gawain  and  Sir  Gareth,  Mordred's  brothers, 
refused  to  give  ear  to  these  slanders,  holding  that  Sir 
Launcelot,  in  his  knightly  service  of  the  Queen,   did 


King  Arthur  6> 

honour  to  King  Arthur  also;  but  by  ill-fortune  another 
brother,  Sir  Agravaine,  had  ill-will  to  the  Queen,  and 
professed  to  believe  Mordred's  evil  tales.  So  the  two 
went  to  King  Arthur  with  their  ill  stories. 

Now  when  Arthur  had  heard  them,  he  was  wroth ;  for 
never  would  he  lightly  believe  evil  of  any,  and  Sir  Laun- 
celot  was  the  knight  whom  he  loved  above  all  others. 
Sternly  then  he  bade  them  begone  and  come  no  more  to 
him  with  unproven  tales  against  any,  and,  least  of  all, 
against  Sir  Launcelot  and  their  lady,  the  Queen. 

The  two  departed,  but  in  their  hearts  was  hatred 
against  Launcelot  and  the  Queen,  more  bitter  than  ever 
for  the  rebuke  they  had  called  down  upon  themselves. 

Great  was  the  King's  grief.  Despite  all  that  Mordred 
could  say,  he  was  slow  to  doubt  Sir  Launcelot,  whom  he 
loved,  but  his  mind  was  filled  with  forebodings ;  and  well 
he  knew  that  their  kin  would  seek  vengeance  on  Sir 
Launcelot,  and  the  noble  fellowship  of  the  Round  Table 
be  utterly  destroyed. 

All  too  soon  it  proved  even  as  the  King  had  feared. 
Many  were  found  to  hold  with  Sir  Mordred;  some  from 
envy  of  the  honour  and  worship  of  the  noble  Sir  Launce- 
lot ;  and  among  them  even  were  those  who  dared  to  raise 
their  voice  against  the  Queen  herself,  calling  for  judgment 
upon  her  as  leagued  with  a  traitor  against  the  King,  and 
as  having  caused  the  death  of  so  many  good  knights. 
Now  in  those  days  the  law  was  that  if  any  one  were 
accused  of  treason  by  witnesses,  or  taken  in  the  act,  that 
one  should  die  the  deaih  by  burning,  be  it  man  or  woman, 
knight  or  churl.  So  then  the  murmurs  grew  to  a  loud 
clamour  that  the  law  should  have  its  course,  and  that 
King  Arthur  should  pass  sentence  on  the  Queen.  Then 
was  the  King's  woe  doubled;   ''For,"  said  he,  ''I  sit  as 


68  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

King  to  be  a  rightful  judge  and  keep  all  the  law;  where- 
fore I  may  not  do  battle  for  my  own  Queen,  and  now 
there  is  none  other  to  help  her."  So  a  decree  was  issued 
that  Queen  Guenevere  should  be  burnt  at  the  stake  out- 
side the  walls  of  Carlisle. 

Forthwith,  King  Arthur  sent  for  his  nephew.  Sir  Ga- 
wain,  and  said  to  him:  " Fair  nephew,  I  give  it  in  charge 
to  you  to  see  that  all  is  done  as  has  been  decreed."  But 
Sir  Gawain  answered  boldly:  ''Sir  King,  never  will  I  be 
present  to  see  my  lady  the  Queen  die.  It  is  of  ill  counsel 
that  ye  have  consented  to  her  death."  Then  the  King 
bade  Gawain  send  his  two  young  brothers,  Sir  Gareth 
and  Sir  Gaheris,  to  receive  his  commands,  and  these  he 
desired  to  attend  the  Queen  to  the  place  of  execution. 
So  Gareth  made  answer  for  both:  "My  Lord  the  King, 
we  owe  you  obedience  in  all  things,  but  know  that  it  is 
sore  against  our  wills  that  we  obey  you  in  this;  nor  will 
we  appear  in  arms  in  the  place  where  that  noble  lady 
shall  die";  then  sorrowfully  they  mounted  their  horses 
and  rode  to  Carlisle. 

When  the  day  appointed  had  come,  the  Queen  was  led 
forth  to  a  place  without  the  walls  of  Carlisle,  and  there 
she  was  bound  to  the  stake  to  be  burnt  to  death.  Loud 
were  her  ladies'  lamentations,  and  many  a  lord  was  found 
to  weep  at  that  grievous  sight  of  a  Queen  brought  so  low ; 
yet  was  there  none  who  dared  come  forward  as  her  cham- 
pion, lest  he  should  be  suspected  of  treason.  As  for 
Gareth  and  Gaheris,  they  could  not  bear  the  sight  and 
stood  with  their  faces  covered  in  their  antles.  Then, 
just  as  the  torch  was  to  be  applied  to  the  faggots,  there 
was  a  sound  as  of  many  horses  galloping,  and  the  next 
instant  a  band  of  knights  rushed  upon  the  astonished 
throng,  their  leader  cutting  down  all  who  crossed  his  path 


King  Arthur  69 

until  he  had  reached  the  Queen,  whom  he  lifted  to  his 
saddle  and  bore  from  the  press.  Then  all  men  knew  that 
it  was  Sir  Launcelot,  come  knightly  to  rescue  the  Queen, 
and  in  their  hearts  they  rejoiced.  So  with  little  hindrance 
they  rode  away.  Sir  Launcelot  and  all  his  kin  with  the 
Queen  in  their  midst,  till  they  came  to  the  castle  of  the 
Joyous  Garde  where  they  held  the  Queen  in  safety  and 
all  reverence. 

At  last  Sir  Launcelot  desired  of  King  Arthur  assurance 
of  liberty  for  the  Queen,  as  also  safe  conduct  for  him- 
self and  his  knights,  that  he  might  bring  Dame  Guen- 
evere,  with  due  honour,  to  the  King  at  Carlisle;  and 
thereto  the  King  pledged  his  word. 

So  Launcelot  set  forth  with  the  Queen,  and  behind 
them  rode  a  hundred  knights  arrayed  in  green  velvet, 
the  housings  of  the  horses  of  the  same  all  studded  with 
precious  stones;  thus  they  passed  through  the  city  of 
Carlisle,  openly,  in  the  sight  of  all,  and  there  were 
many  who  rejoiced  that  the  Queen  was  come  again  and 
Sir  Launcelot  with  her,  though  they  of  Gawain's  party 
scowled  upon  him. 

When  they  were  come  into  the  great  hall  where  Arthur 
sat,  with  Sir  Gawain  and  other  great  lords  about  him.  Sir 
Launcelot  led  Guenevere  to  the  throne  and  both  knelt  be- 
fore the  King;  then,  rising.  Sir  Launcelot  lifted  the 
Queen  to  her  feet,  and  thus  he  spoke  to  King  Arthur, 
boldly  and  well  before  the  whole  court:  "My  lord.  Sir 
Arthur,  I  bring  you  here  your  Queen,  than  whom  no 
truer  nor  nobler  lady  ever  lived;  and  here  stand  I,  Sir 
Launcelot  du  Lac,  ready  to  do  battle  with  any  that 
dare  gainsay  it";  and  with  these  words  Sir  Launcelot 
turned  and  looked  upon  the  lords  and  knights  present 
in   their  places,  but  none  would  challenge  him  in  that 


70  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

cause,  not  even  Sir  Gawain,  for  he  had  ever  affirmed 
that  Dame  Guenevere  was  a  true  and  honourable  lady. 

Then  Sir  Launcelot  spoke  again;  "Now,  my  Lord 
Arthur,  in  my  own  defence  it  behooves  me  to  say  that 
never  in  aught  have  I  been  false  to  you." 

"Peace,'*  said  the  King  to  Sir  Launcelot:  "We  give 
you  fifteen  days  in  which  to  leave  this  kingdom."  Then 
Sir  Launcelot  sighed  heavily  and  said:  "Full  well  I  see 
that  nothing  availeth  me."  Then  he  went  to  the  Queen 
where  she  sat,  and  said:  "Madam,  the  time  is  come  when 
I  must  leave  this  fair  realm  that  I  have  loved.  Think 
well  of  me,  I  pray  you,  and  send  for  me  if  ever  there  be 
aught  in  which  a  true  knight  may  serve  lady."  There- 
with he  turned  him  about  and,  without  greeting  to  any, 
passed  through  the  hall,  and  with  his  faithful  knights  rode 
to  the  Joyous  Garde,  though  ever  thereafter,  in  memory 
of  that  sad  day,  he  called  it  the  Dolorous  Garde. 

In  after  times  when  the  King  had  passed  overseas  to 
France,  leaving  Sir  Mordred  to  rule  Britain  in  his  stead, 
there  came  messengers  from  Britain  bearing  letters  for 
King  Arthur;  and  more  evil  news  than  they  brought 
might  not  well  be,  for  they  told  how  Sir  Mordred  had 
usurped  his  uncle's  realm.  First,  he  had  caused  it  to  be 
noised  abroad  that  King  Arthur  was  slain  in  battle  with 
Sir  Launcelot,  and,  since  there  be  many  ever  ready  to 
believe  any  idle  rumour  and  eager  for  any  change,  it 
had  been  no  hard  task  for  Sir  Mordred  to  call  the  lords 
to  a  Parliament  and  persuade  them  to  make  him  King. 
But  the  Queen  could  not  be  brought  to  believe  that  her 
lord  was  dead,  so  she  took  refuge  in  the  Tower  of  London 
from  Sir  Mordred's  violence,  nor  was  she  to  be  induced 
to  leave  her  strong  refuge  for  aught  that  Mordred  could 
promise  or  threaten. 


King  Arthur  71 

Forthwith,  King  Arthur  bade  his  host  make  ready  to 
move,  and  when  they  had  reached  the  coast,  they  em- 
barked and  made  sail  to  reach  Britain  with  all  possible 
speed. 

Sir  Mordred,  on  his  part,  had  heard  of  their  sailing, 
and  hasted  to  get  together  a  great  army.  It  was  grievous 
to  see  how  many  a  stout  knight  held  by  Mordred,  ay, 
even  many  whom  Arthur  himself  had  raised  to  honour  and 
fortune;  for  it  is  the  nature  of  men  to  be  fickle.  Thus 
is  was  that,  when  Arthur  drew  near  to  Dover,  he  found 
Mordred  with  a  mighty  host,  waiting  to  oppose  his  land- 
ing. Then  there  was  a  great  sea-fight,  those  of  Mordred's 
party  going  out  in  boats,  to  board  King  Arthur's  ships 
and  slay  him  and  his  men  or  ever  they  should  come  to 
land.  Right  valiantly  did  King  Arthur  bear  him,  as  was 
his  wont,  and  boldly  his  followers  fought  in  his  cause,  so 
that  at  last  they  drove  off  their  enemies  and  landed  at 
Dover  in  spite  of  Mordred  and  his  array. 

Now,  by  this  time,  many  that  Mordred  had  cheated 
by  his  lying  reports,  had  drawn  unto  King  Arthur,  to 
whom  at  heart  they  had  ever  been  loyal,  knowing  him 
for  a  true  and  noble  King  and  hating  themselves  for 
having  been  deceived  by  such  a  false  usurper  as  Sir 
Mordred. 

One  night,  as  King  Arthur  slept,  he  thought  that 
Sir  Gawain  stood  before  him,  looking  just  as  he  did 
in  life,  and  said  to  him:  ''My  uncle  and  my  King, 
God  in  his  great  love  has  suffered  me  to  come  unto 
you,  to  warn  you  that  in  no  wise  ye  fight  on  the 
morrow ;  for  if  ye  do,  ye  shall  be  slain,  and  with  you  the 
most  part  of  the  people  on  both  sides.  Make  ye,  there- 
fore, a  treaty."  Immediately,  the  King  awoke  and  called 
to  him  the  best  and  wisest  of  his  knights.      Then  all  were 


72  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

agreed  that,  on  any  terms  whatsoever,  a  treaty  should  be 
made  with  Sir  Mordred,  even  as  Sir  Gawain  had  said; 
and,  with  the  dawn,  messengers  went  to  the  camp  of  the 
enemy,  to  call  Sir  Mordred  to  a  conference.  So  it  was 
determined  that  the  meeting  should  take  place  in  the  sight 
of  ^both  armies,  in  an  open  space  between  the  two  camps, 
and  that  King  Arthur  and  Mordred  should  each  be 
accompanied  by  fourteen  knights.  Little  enough  faith 
had  either  in  the  other,  so  when  they  set  forth  to  the  meet- 
ing, they  bade  their  hosts  join  battle  if  ever  they  saw  a 
sword  drawn. 

Now  as  they  talked,  it  befell  that  an  adder,  coming  out 
of  a  bush  hard  by,  stung  a  knight  in  the  foot;  and  he, 
seeing  the  snake,  drew  his  sword  to  kill  it  and  thought 
no  harm  thereby.  But  on  the  instant  that  the  sword 
flashed,  the  trumpets  blared  on  both  sides  and  the  two 
hosts  rushed  to  battle.  Never  was  there  fought  a  fight 
of  such  enmity;  for  brother  fought  with  brother,  and 
comrade  with  comrade,  and  fiercely  they  cut  and  thrust, 
with  many  a  bitter  word  between;  while  King  Arthur 
himself,  his  heart  hot  within  him,  rode  through  and 
through  the  battle,  seeking  the  traitor  Mordred.  So 
they  fought  all  day,  till  at  last  the  evening  fell.  Then 
Arthur,  looking  round  him,  saw  of  his  valiant  knights  but 
two  left.  Sir  Lucan  and  Sir  Bedivere,  and  these  sore 
wounded;  and  there,  over  against  him,  by  a  great  heap 
of  the  dead,  stood  Sir  Mordred,  the  cause  of  all  this  ruin. 
Thereupon  the  King,  his  heart  nigh  broken  with  grief  for 
the  loss  of  his  true  knights,  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
*' Traitor!  now  is  thy  doom  upon  thee!"  and  with  his 
spear  gripped  in  both  hands,  he  rushed  upon  Sir  Mordred 
and  smote  him  that  the  weapon  stood  out  a  fathom  behind. 
And  Sir  Mordred  knew  that  he  had  his  death  wound. 


King  Arthur  73 

With  all  the  might  that  he  had,  he  thrust  him  up  the 
spear  to  the  haft  and,  with  his  sword,  struck  King  Arthur 
upon  the  head,  that  the  steel  pierced  the  helmet  and  bit 
into  the  head;  then  Mordred  fell  back,  stark  and  dead. 

Sir  Lucan  and  Sir  Bedivere  went  to  the  King  where  he 
lay,  swooning  from  the  blow,  and  bore  him  to  a  little 
chapel  on  the  seashore.  As  they  laid  him  on  the  ground, 
Sir  Lucan  fell  dead  beside  the  King,  and  Arthur,  coming 
to  himself,  found  but  Sir  Bedivere  alive  beside  him. 

So  King  Arthur  lay  wounded  to  the  death,  grieving, 
not  that  his  end  was  come,  but  for  the  desolation  of  his 
kingdom  and  the  loss  of  his  good  knights.  And  looking 
upon  the  body  of  Sir  Lucan,  he  sighed  and  said:  '^  Alas! 
true  knight,  dead  for  my  sake!  If  I  lived,  I  should  ever 
grieve  for  thy  death,  but  now  mine  own  end  draws  nigh." 
Then,  turning  to  Sir  Bedivere,  who  stood  sorrowing 
beside  him,  he  said:  ''Leave  weeping  now,  for  the  time 
is  short  and  much  to  do.  Hereafter  shalt  thou  weep  if 
thou  wilt.  But  take  now  my  sword  Excalibur,  hasten 
to  the  water  side,  and  fling  it  into  the  deep.  Then, 
watch  what  happens  and  bring  me  word  thereof."  ''My 
Lord,"  said  Sir  Bedivere,  "your  command  shall  be 
obeyed";  and, taking  the  sword,  he  departed.  But  as 
he  went  on  his  way,  he  looked  on  the  sword,  how  won- 
drously  it  was  formed  and  the  hilt  all  studded  with 
precious  stones;  and,  as  he  looked,  he  called  to  mind  the 
marvel  by  which  it  had  come  into  the  King's  keeping. 
For  on  a  certain  day,  as  Arthur  walked  on  the  shore  of 
a  great  lake,  there  had  appeared  above  the  surface  of 
the  water  a  hand  brandishing  a  sword.  On  the  instant, 
the  King  had  leaped  into  a  boat,  and,  rowing  into  the 
lake,  had  got  the  sword  and  brought  it  back  to  land. 
Then  he  had  seen  how,  on  one  side  the  blade,  was  written. 


74  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

''Keep  me,"  but  on  the  other,  "Throw  me  away,"  and, 
sore  perplexed,  he  had  shown  it  to  MerHn,  the  great 
wizard,  who  said:  ''Keep  it  now.  The  time  for  casting 
away  has  not  yet  come."  Thinking  on  this,  it  seemed 
to  Bedivere  that  no  good,  but  harm,  must  come  of  obey- 
ing the  King's  word;  so  hiding  the  sword  under  a  tree,  he 
hastened  back  to  the  Kttle  chapel.  Then  said  the  King: 
"What  saw'st  thou?"  "Sir,"  answered  Bedivere,  "I 
saw  naught  but  the  waves,  heard  naught  but  the  wind." 
"That  is  untrue,"  said  King  Arthur;  "I  charge  thee,  as 
thou  art  true  knight,  go  again  and  spare  not  to  throw 
away  the  sword." 

Sir  Bedivere  departed  a  second  time,  and  his  mind 
was  to  obey  his  lord;  but  when  he  took  the  sword  in  his 
hand,  he  thought:  "Sin  it  is  and  shameful,  to  throw 
away  so  glorious  a  sword."  Then,  hiding  it  again,  he 
hastened  back  to  the  King.  "What  saw'st  thou?"  said 
Sir  Arthur.  "Sir,  I  saw  the  water  lap  on  the  crags." 
Then  spoke  the  King  in  great  wrath:  "Traitor  and 
unkind!  Twice  hast  thou  betrayed  me!  Art  dazzled 
by  the  splendour  of  the  jewels,  thou  that,  till  now, 
hast  ever  been  dear  and  true  to  me?  Go  yet  again,  but 
if  thou  fail  me  this  time,  I  will  arise  and,  with  mine  own 
hands,  slay  thee." 

Then  Sir  Bedivere  left  the  King  and,  that  time,  he 
took  the  sword  quickly  from  the  place  where  he  had 
hidden  it  and,  forbearing  even  to  look  upon  it,  he  twisted 
the  belt  about  it  and  flung  it  with  all  his  force  into  the 
water.  A  wondrous  sight  he  saw  for,  as  the  sword 
touched  the  water,  a  hand  rose  from  out  the  deep,  caught 
it,  brandished  it  thrice,  and  drew  it  beneath  the  sur- 
face. 

Sir  Bedivere  hastened  back  to  the  King  and  told  him 


King  Arthur  75 

what  he  had  seen.  "It  is  well,"  said  Arthur;  "now, 
bear  me  to  the  water's  edge;  and  hasten,  I  pray  thee,  for 
I  have  tarried  overlong  and  my  wound  has  taken  cold." 
So  Sir  Bedivere  raised  the  King  on  his  back  and  bore 
him  tenderly  to  the  lonely  shore,  where  the  lapping  waves 
floated  many  an  empty  helmet  and  the  fitful  moonlight 
fell  on  the  upturned  faces  of  the  dead.  Scarce  had  they 
reached  the  shore  when  there  hove  in  sight  a  barge,  and 
on  its  deck  stood  three  tall  women,  robed  all  in  black  and 
wearing  crowns  on  their  heads.  "Place  me  in  the  barge," 
said  the  King,  and  softly  Sir  Bedivere  lifted  the  King 
into  it.  And  these  three  Queens  wept  sore  over  Arthur, 
and  one  took  his  head  in  her  lap  and  chafed  his  hands, 
crying:  "Alas!  my  brother,  thou  hast  been  overlong  in 
coming  and,  I  fear  me,  thy  wound  has  taken  cold." 
Then  the  barge  began  to  move  slowly  from  the  land. 
When  Sir  Bedivere  saw  this,  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
cried  with  a  bitter  cry:  "Ah!  my  Lord  Arthur,  thou 
art  taken  from  me!  And  I,  whither  shall  I  go?" 
"Comfort  thyself,"  said  the  King,  "for  in  me  is  no  com- 
fort more.  I  pass  to  the  Valley  of  Avilion,  to  heal  me  of 
my  grievous  wound.  If  thou  seest  me  never  again,  pray 
for  me." 

So  the  barge  floated  away  out  of  sight,  and  Sir  Bedivere 
stood  straining  his  eyes  after  it  till  it  had  vanished  utterly. 
Then  he  turned  him  about  and  journeyed  through  the 
forest  until,  at  daybreak,  he  reached  a  hermitage.  Enter- 
ing it,  he  prayed  the  holy  hermit  that  he  might  abide  with 
him,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  prayer  and 
holy  excercise. 

But  of  King  Arthur  is  no  more  known.  Some  men, 
indeed,  say  that  he  is  not  dead,  but  abides  in  the  happy 
Valley  of  Avilion  until  such  time  as  his  country's  need  is 


76  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sorest,  when  he  shall  come  again  and  deliver  it.  Others 
say  that,  of  a  truth,  he  is  dead,  and  that,  in  the  far  West, 
his  tomb  may  be  seen,  and  written  on  it  these  words: 

**i^erc  lieiB  artljiiV,  once  King 
anH  Bins  to  be/* 


CHAPTER  VII 

SIR   GALAHAD 

MANY  times  had  the  Feast  of  Pentecost  come 
round,  and  many  were  the  knights  that  Arthur 
had  made  after  he  founded  the  Order  of  the  Round 
Table;  yet  no  knight  had  appeared  who  dared  claim 
the  seat  named  by  Merlin  the  Siege  Perilous.  At 
last,  one  vigil  of  the  great  feast,  a  lady  came  to  Arthur's 
court  at  Camelot  and  asked  Sir  Launcelot  to  ride  with 
her  into  the  forest  hard  by,  for  a  purpose  not  then  to  be 
revealed.  Launcelot  consenting,  they  rode  together 
until  they  came  to  a  nunnery  hidden  deep  in  the  forest ; 
and  there  the  lady  bade  Launcelot  dismount,  and  led 
him  into  a  great  and  stately  room.  Presently  there 
entered  twelve  nuns  and  with  them  a  youth,  the  fairest 
that  Launcelot  had  ever  seen.  ''Sir,"  said  the  nuns, 
"we  have  brought  up  this  child  in  our  midst,  and  now 
that  he  is  grown  to  manhood,  we  pray  you  make  him 
knight,  for  of  none  worthier  could  he  receive  the  honour." 
"Is  this  thy  own  desire?"  asked  Launcelot  of  the  young 
squire;  and  when  he  said  that  so  it  was,  Launcelot 
promised  to  make  him  knight  after  the  great  festival  had 
been  celebrated  in  the  church  next  day. 

So  on  the  morrow,  after  they  had  worshipped,  Launce- 
lot knighted  Galahad — for  that  was  the  youth's  name — 
and  asked  him  if  he  would  ride  at  once  with  him  to  the 
King's  court;  but  the  young  knight  excusing  himself. 
Sir  Launcelot  rode  back  alone  to  Camelot,  where  all  re- 

77 


78  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

joiced  that  he  was  returned  in  time  to  keep  the  feast  with 
the  whole  Order  of  the  Round  Table. 

Now,  according  to  his  custom,  King  Arthur  was  wait- 
ing for  some  marvel  to  befall  before  he  and  his  knights 
sat  down  to  the  banquet.  Presently  a  squire  entered 
the  hall  and  said:  "Sir  King,  a  great  wonder  has  ap- 
peared. There  floats  on  the  river  a  mighty  stone,  as  it 
were  a  block  of  red  marble,  and  it  is  thrust  through  by  a 
sword,  the  hilt  of  which  is  set  thick  with  precious  stones." 
On  hearing  this,  the  King  and  all  his  knights  went  forth 
to  view  the  stone  and  found  it  as  the  squire  had  said; 
moreover,  looking  closer,  they  read  these  words:  '*None 
shall  draw  me  hence,  but  only  he  by  whose  side  I  must 
hang;  and  he  shall  be  the  best  knight  in  all  the  world." 
Immediately,  all  bade  Launcelot  draw  forth  the  sword, 
but  he  refused,  saying  that  the  sword  was  not  for  him. 
Then,  at  the  King's  command.  Sir  Gawain  made  the 
attempt  and  failed,  as  did  Sir  Percivale  after  him.  So 
the  knights  knew  the  adventure  was  not  for  them,  and 
returning  to  the  hall,  took  their  places  about  the  Round 
Table. 

No  sooner  were  they  seated  than  an  aged  man,  clothed 
all  in  white,  entered  the  hall,  followed  by  a  young  knight 
in  red  armour,  by  whose  side  hung  an  empty  scabbard. 
The  old  man  approached  King  Arthur  and  bowing  low 
before  him,  said:  "Sir,  I  bring  you  a  young  knight  of 
the  house  and  lineage  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  and 
through  him  shall  great  glory  be  won  for  all  the  land  of 
Britain."  Greatly  did  King  Arthur  rejoice  to  hear  this, 
and  welcomed  the  two  right  royally.  Then  when  the 
young  knight  had  saluted  the  King,  the  old  man  led  him 
to  the  Siege  Perilous  and  drew  off  its  silken  cover;  and 
all  the  knights  were  amazed,  for  they  saw  that  where  had 


Sir  Galahad  79 

been  engraved  the  words,  "The  Siege  Perilous,"  was 
written  now  in  shining  gold:  ''This  is  the  Siege  of  the 
noble  prince.  Sir  Galahad."  Straightway  the  young 
man  seated  himself  there  where  none  other  had  ever  sat 
without  danger  to  his  life;  and  all  who  saw  it  said,  one 
to  another:  "Surely  this  is  he  that  shall  achieve  the 
Holy  Grail."  Now  the  Holy  Grail  was  the  blessed  dish 
from  which  our  Lord  had  eaten  the  Last  Supper,  and 
it  had  been  brought  to  the  land  of  Britain  by  Joseph  of 
Arimathea;  but  because  of  men's  sinfulness,  it  had  been 
withdrawn  from  human  sight,  only  that,  from  time  to 
to  time,  it  appeared  to  the  pure  in  heart. 

When  all  had  partaken  of  the  royal  banquet.  King 
Arthur  bade  Sir  Galahad  come  with  him  to  the  river's 
brink ;  and  showing  him  the  floating  stone  with  the  sword 
thrust  through  it,  told  him  how  his  knights  had  failed 
to  draw  forth  the  sword.  "Sir,"  said  Galahad,  "it  is  no 
marvel  that  they  failed,  for  the  adventure  was  meant 
for  me,  as  my  empty  scabbard  shows."  So  saying, 
lightly  he  drew  the  sword  from  the  heart  of  the  stone,  and 
lightly  he  slid  it  into  the  scabbard  at  his  side.  While 
all  yet  wondered  at  this  adventure  of  the  sword,  there 
came  riding  to  them  a  lady  on  a  white  palfrey  who,  saluting 
King  Arthur,  said:  "Sir  King,  Nacien  the  hermit  sends 
thee  word  that  this  day  shall  great  honour  be  shown  to 
thee  and  all  thine  house;  for  the  Holy  Grail  shall 
appear  in  thy  hall,  and  thou  and  all  thy  fellowship 
shall  be  fed  therefrom."  And  so  to  Launcelot  she 
said:  "Sir  Knight,  thou  hast  ever  been  the  best 
knight  of  all  the  world;  but  another  has  come  to 
whom  thou  must  yield  precedence."  Then  Launcelot 
answered  humbly:  "I  know  well  I  was  never  the 
best."     "Ay,  of  a  truth  thou  wast  and  art  still,  of  sinful 


8o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

men,"  said  'she,  and  rode  away  before  any  could  ques- 
tion her  further. 

So,  that  evening,  when  all  were  gathered  about  the 
Round  Table,  each  knight  in  his  own  siege,  suddenly 
there  was  heard  a  crash  of  thunder,  so  mighty  that  the  hall 
trembled,  and  there  flashed  into  the  hall  a  sunbeam, 
brighter  far  than  any  that  had  ever  before  been  seen; 
and  then,  draped  all  in  white  samite,  there  glided  through 
the  air  what  none  might  see,  yet  what  all  knew  to  be  the 
Holy  Grail.  And  all  the  air  was  filled  with  sweet  odours, 
and  on  every  one  was  shed  a  light  in  which  he  looked 
fairer  and  nobler  than  ever  before.  So  they  sat  in  an 
amazed  silence,  till  presently  King  Arthur  rose  and  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  the  grace  given  to  him  and  to  his 
court.  Then  up  sprang  Sir  Gawain  and  made  his  avow 
to  follow  for  a  year  and  a  day  the  Quest  of  the  Holy  Grail, 
if  perchance  he  might  be  granted  the  vision  of  it.  Im- 
mediately other  of  the  knights  followed  his  example, 
binding  themselves  to  the  Quest  of  the  Holy  Grail  until, 
in  all,  one  hundred  and  fifty  had  vowed  themselves  to  the 
adventure. 

Then  was  King  Arthur  grieved,  for  he  foresaw  the 
ruin  of  his  noble  Order.  And  turning  to  Sir  Gawain, 
he  said:  ''Nephew,  ye  have  done  ill,  for  through  you 
I  am  bereft  of  the  noblest  company  of  knights  that  ever 
brought  honour  to  any  realm  in  Christendom.  Well  I 
know  that  never  again  shall  all  of  you  gather  in  this  hall, 
and  it  grieves  me  to  lose  men  I  have  loved  as  my  life  and 
through  whom  I  have  won  peace  and  righteousness  for 
all  my  realm."  So  the  King  mourned  and  his  knights 
with  him,  but  their  oaths  they  could  not  recall. 

Great  woe  was  there  in  Camelot  next  day  when,  after 
worship  in  the  cathedral,  the  knights  who  had  vowed 


Sir  Galahad  8i 

themselves  to  the  Quest  of  the  Holy  Grail  got  to  horse 
and  rode  away.  A  goodly  company  it  was  that  passed 
through  the  streets,  the  townfolk  weeping  to  see  them  go ; 
Sir  Launcelot  du  Lac  and  his  kin,  Sir  Galahad  of  whom 
all  expected  great  deeds,  Sir  Bors  and  Sir  Percivale,  and 
many  another  scarcely  less  famed  than  they.  So  they 
rode  together  that  day  to  the  Castle  of  Vagon,  where 
they  were  entertained  right  hospitably,  and  the  next  day 
they  separated,  each  to  ride  his  own  way  and  see  what 
adventures  should  befall  him. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that,  after  four  days'  ride.  Sir  Gala- 
had reached  an  abbey.  Now  Sir  Galahad  was  still  clothed 
in  red  armour  as  when  he  came  to  the  King's  court,  and 
by  his  side  hung  the  wondrous  sword;  but  he  was  without 
a  shield.  They  of  the  abbey  received  him  right  heartily, 
as  also  did  the  brave  King  Bagdemagus,  Knight  of  the 
Round  Table,  who  was  resting  there.  When  they 
greeted  each  other,  Sir  Galahad  asked  King  Bagdema- 
gus what  adventure  had  brought  him  there.  ''Sir,"  said 
Bagdemagus,  "I  was  told  that  in  this  abbey  was  pre- 
served a  wondrous  shield  which  none  but  the  best  knight 
in  the  world  might  bear  without  grievous  harm  to  him- 
self. And  though  I  know  well  that  there  are  better 
knights  than  I,  to-morrow  I  purpose  to  make  the  attempt. 
But,  I  pray  you,  bide  at  this  monastery  a  while  until  you 
hear  from  me ;  and  if  I  fail,  do  ye  take  the  adventure  upon 
you."     ''So  be  it,"  said  Sir  Galahad. 

The  iVext  day,  at  their  request,  Sir  Galahad  and  King 
Bagdemagus  were  led  into  the  church  by  a  monk  and 
shown  where,  behind  the  altar,  hung  the  wondrous  shield, 
whiter  than  snow  save  for  the  blood-red  cross  in  its  midst. 
Then  the  monk  warned  them  of  the  danger  to  any  who, 
being  unworthy,  should  dare    to  bear  the  shield.     But 


82  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

King  Bagdemagus  made  answer:  "I  know  well  that  I 
am  not  the  best  knight  in  the  world,  yet  will  I  try  if  I  may 
bear  it."  So  he  hung  it  about  his  neck,  and,  bidding 
farewell,  rode  away  with  his  squire. 

The  two  had  not  journeyed  far  before  they  saw  a  knight 
approach,  armed  all  in  white  mail  and  mounted  upon  a 
white  horse.  Immediately  he  laid  his  spear  in  rest  and^ 
charging  King  Bagdemagus,  pierced  him  through  the 
shoulder  and  bore  him  from  his  horse ;  and  standing  over 
the  wounded  knight,  he  said:  ''Knight,  thou  hast  shown 
great  folly,  for  none  shall  bear  this  shield  save  the  peerless 
knight,  Sir  Galahad."  Then,  taking  the  shield,  he  gave 
it  to  the  squire  and  said:  ''Bear  this  shield  to  the  good 
Knight  Galahad  and  greet  him  well  from  me."  "What 
is  your  name ? "  asked  the  squire.  "That  is  not  for  thee 
or  any  other  to  know."  "One  thing,  I  pray  you," 
said  the  squire;  "why  may  this  shield  be  borne  by 
none  but  Sir  Galahad  without  danger?"  "Because  it 
belongs  to  him  only,"  answered  the  stranger  knight,  and 
vanished. 

Then  the  squire  took  the  shield  and  setting  King  Bagde- 
magus on  his  horse,  bore  him  back  to  the  abbey  where  he 
lay  long,  sick  unto  death.  To  Galahad  the  squire  gave 
the  shield  and  told  him  all  that  had  befallen.  So  Gala- 
had hung  the  shield  about  his  neck  and  rode  the  way  that 
Bagdemagus  had  gone  the  day  before ;  and  presently  he 
met  the  White  Knight,  whom  he  greeted  courteously, 
begging  that  he  would  make  known  to  him  the  marvels 
of  the  red-cross  shield.  "That  will  I  gladly,"  answered 
the  White  Knight.  '^  Ye  must  know.  Sir  Knight,  that  this 
shield  was  made  and  given  by  Joseph  of  Arimathea  to  the 
good  King  Evelake  of  Sarras,  that,  in  the  might  of  the 
holy   symbol,   he   should   overthrow   the   heathen   who 


Sir  Galahad  83 

threatened  his  kingdom.  But  afterwards,  King  Evelake 
followed  Joseph  to  this  land  of  Britain  where  they  taught 
the  true  faith  unto  the  people  who  before  were  heathen. 
Then  when  Joseph  lay  dying,  he  bade  King  Evelake  set 
the  shield  in  the  monastery  where  ye  lay  last  night,  and 
foretold  that  none  should  wear  it  without  loss  until  that 
day  when  it  should  be  taken  by  the  knight,  ninth  and  last 
in  descent  from  him,  who  should  come  to  that  place  the 
fifteenth  day  after  receiving  the  degree  of  knighthood. 
Even  so  has  it  been  with  you,  Sir  Knight."  So  saying, 
the  unknown  knight  disappeared  and  Sir  Galahad  rode 
on  his  way. 

After  Sir  Launcelot  had  parted  from  his  fellows  at  the 
Castle  of  Vagon,  he  rode  many  days  through  the  forest 
without  adventure,  till  he  chanced  upon  a  knight  close 
by  a  little  hermitage  in  the  wood.  Immediately,  as  was 
the  wont  of  errant  knights,  they  prepared  to  joust,  and 
Launcelot,  whom  none  before  had  overthrown,  was 
borne  down,  man  and  horse,  by  the  stranger  knight. 
Thereupon  a  nun,  who  dwelt  in  the  hermitage,  cried: 
"God be  with  thee,  best  knight  in  all  this  world,"  for  she 
knew  the  victor  for  Sir  Galahad.  But  Galahad,  not  wish- 
ing to  be  known,  rode  swiftly  away;  and  presently  Sir 
Launcelot  got  to  horse  again  and  rode  slowly  on  his  way, 
shamed  and  doubting  sorely  in  his  heart  whether  this 
quest  were  meant  for  him. 

Afterward  Sir  Galahad  rescued  Sir  Percivale  from 
twenty  knights  who  beset  him,  and  rode  on  his  way  till 
night-fall,  when  he  sought  shelter  at  a  little  hermitage. 
Thither  there  came  in  the  night  a  damsel  who  desired  to 
speak  with  Sir  Galahad;  so  he  arose  and  went  to  her. 
''Galahad,"  said  she,  "arm  you  and  mount  your  horse 
and  follow  me,  for  I  am  come  to  guide  you  in  your  quest." 


84  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

So  they  rode  together  until  they  had  come  to  the  seashore 
and  there  the  damsel  showed  Galahad  a  great  ship  into 
which  he  must  enter.  Then  she  bade  him  farewell,  and 
he,  going  on  to  the  ship,  found  there  already  the  good 
knights  Sir  Bors  and  Sir  Percivale,  who  made  much  joy 
of  the  meeting.  They  abode  in  that  ship  until  they  had 
come  to  the  castle  of  King  Pelles,  who  welcomed  them 
right  gladly.  Then,  as  they  all  sat  at  supper  that  night, 
suddenly  the  hall  was  filled  with  a  great  light,  and  the 
holy  vessel  appeared  in  their  midst,  covered  all  in  white 
samite.  While  they  all  rejoiced,  there  came  a  voice, 
saying:  ''My  Knights  whom  I  have  chosen,  ye  have 
seen  the  holy  vessel  dimly.  Continue  your  journey 
to  the  city  of  Sarras  and  there  the  perfect  vision  shall 
be  yours." 

Now  in  the  city  of  Sarras  had  dwelt  a  long  time  Joseph 
of  Arimathea,  teaching  its  people  the  true  faith,  before 
ever  he  came  into  the  land  of  Britain;  but  when  Sir 
Galahad  and  his  fellows  came  there  after  long  voyage, 
they  found  it  ruled  by  a  heathen  King  named  Estorause, 
who  cast  them  into  a  deep  dungeon.  There  they  were 
kept  a  year,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time,  the  tyrant  died. 
Then  the  great  men  of  the  land  gathered  together  to  con- 
sider who  should  be  their  King;  and,  while  they  were  in 
council,  came  a  voice  bidding  them  take  as  their  King  the 
youngest  of  the  three  knights  whom  Estorause  had  thrown 
into  prison.  So  in  fear  and  wonder  they  hastened  to  the 
prison,  and,  releasing  the  three  knights,  made  Galahad 
King  as  the  voice  had  bidden  them. 

Thus  Sir  Galahad  became  King  of  the  famous  city  of 
Sarras,  in  far  Babylon.  He  had  reigned  a  year  when,  one 
morning  early,  he  and  the  other  two  knights,  his  fellows, 
went  into  the  chapel,  and  there  they  saw,  kneeling  in 


Sir  Galahad  85 

prayer,  an  aged  man,  robed  as  a  bishop,  and  round  him 
hovered  many  angels.  The  knights  fell  on  their  knees 
in  awe  and  reverence,  whereupon  he  that  seemed  a  bishop 
turned  to  them  and  said:  ''I  am  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
and  I  am  come  to  show  you  the  perfect  vision  of  the  Holy 
Grail."  On  the  instant  there  appeared  before  them, 
without  veil  or  cover,  the  holy  vessel,  in  a  radiance  of 
light  such  as  almost  blinded  them.  Sir  Bors  and  Sir 
Percivale,  when  at  length  they  were  recovered  from  the 
brightness  of  that  glory,  looked  up  to  find  that  the  holy 
Joseph  and  the  wondrous  vessel  had  passed  from  their 
sight.  Then  they  went  to  Sir  Galahad  where  he  still 
knelt  as  in  prayer,  and  behold,  he  was  dead;  for  it  had 
been  with  him  even  as  he  had  prayed;  in  the  moment 
when  he  had  seen  the  vision,  his  soul  had  gone  back  to 
God. 

So  the  two  knights  buried  him  in  that  far  city,  them- 
selves mourning  and  all  the  people  with  them.  And 
immediately  after.  Sir  Percivale  put  off  his  arms  and  took 
the  habit  of  a  monk,  living  a  devout  and  holy  life  until, 
a  year  and  two  months  later,  he  also  died  and  was  buried 
near  Sir  Galahad.  Then  Sir  Bors  armed  him,  and  bid- 
ding farewell  to  the  city,  sailed  away  until,  after  many 
weeks,  he  came  again  to  the  land  of  Britain.  There  he 
took  horse,  and  stayed  not  till  he  had  come  to  Camelot. 
Great  was  the  rejoicing  of  Arthur  and  all  his  knights  when 
Sir  Bors  was  once  more  among  them.  When  he  had 
told  all  the  adventures  which  had  befallen  him  and  the 
good  knights,  his  companions,  all  who  heard  were  filled 
with  amaze.  But  the  King  he  caused  the  wisest  clerks 
in  the  land  to  write  in  great  books  of  the  Holy  Grail,  that 
the  fame  of  it  should  endure  unto  all  time. 


86  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Sir  Galahad 

by  alfred   lord  tennyson 

My  good  blade  carves  the  casques  of  men, 

My  tough  lance  thrusteth  sure, 
My  strength  is  as  the  strength  of  ten, 

Because  my  heart  is  pure. 
The  shattering  trumpet  shrilleth  high. 

The  hard  brands  shiver  on  the  steel. 
The  splinter'd  spear-shafts  crack  and  fly, 

The  horse  and  rider  reel: 
They  reel,  they  roll  in  clanging  lists, 

And  when  the  tide  of  combat  stands. 
Perfume  and  flowers  fall  in  showers 

That  lightly  rain  from  ladies'  hands. 

How  sweet  are  looks  that  ladies  bend 

On  whom  their  favours  fall! 
For  them  I  battle  till  the  end. 

To  save  from  shame  and  thrall: 
But  all  my  heart  is  drawn  above, 

My  knees  are  bow'd  in  crypt  and  shrine: 
I  never  felt  the  kiss  of  love, 

Nor  maiden's  hand  in  mine. 
More  bounteous  aspects  on  me  beam, 

Me  mightier  transports  move  and  thrill; 
So  keep  I  fair  thro'  faith  and  prayer 

A  virgin  heart  in  work  and  will. 

When  down  the  stormy  crescent  goes, 

A  light  before  me  swims, 
Between  dark  stems  the  forest  glows, 

I  hear  a  noise  of  h)mins: 


Sir  Galahud  87 

Then  by  some  secret  shrine  I  ride ; 

I  hear  a  voice,  but  none  are  there; 
The  stalls  are  void,  the  doors  are  wide, 

The  tapers  burning  fair. 
Fair  gleams  the  snowy  altar-cloth, 

The  silver  vessels  sparkle  clean. 
The  shrill  bell  rings,  the  censer  swings. 

And  solemn  chaunts  resound  between. 


Sometimes  on  lonely  mountain-meres 

I  find  a  magic  bark; 
I  leap  on  board:  no    helmsman  steers* 

I  float  till  all  is  dark. 
A  gentle  sound,  an  awful  light! 

Three  angels  bear  the  Holy  Grail: 
With  folded  feet,  in  stoles  of  white, 

On  sleeping  wings  they  sail. 
Ah,  blessed  vision!  blood  of  God! 

My  spirit  beats  her  mortal  bars, 
As  down  dark  tides  the  glory  slides, 

And  star-like  mingles  with  the  stars. 

When  on  my  goodly  charger  borne 

Thro'  dreaming  towns  I  go, 
The  cock  crows  ere  the  Christmas  morn, 

The  streets  are  dumb  with  snow. 
The  tempest  crackles  on  the  leads, 

And,  ringing,  spins  from  brand  and  mail; 
But  o'er  the  dark  a  glory  spreads, 

And  gilds  the  driving  hail. 
I  leave  the  plain,  I  climb  the  height; 

No  branchy  thicket  shelter  yields; 


^8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

But  blessed  forms  in  whistling  storms 
Fly  o'er  waste  fens  and  windy  fields. 


A  maiden  knight — to  me  is  given 

Such  hope,  I  know  not  fear; 
I  yearn  to  breathe  the  airs  of  heaven 

That  often  meet  me  here. 
I  muse  on  joy  that  will  not  cease, 

Pure  spaces  clothed  in  living  beams, 
Pure  lilies  of  eternal  peace. 

Whose  odours  haunt  my  dreams; 
And,  stricken  by  an  angel's  hand. 

This  mortal  armour  that  I  wear, 
This  weight  and  size,  this  heart  and  eyes. 

Are  touch'd,  are  turn'd  to  finest  air. 

The  clouds  are  broken  in  the  sky, 

And  thro'  the  mountain-walls 
A  rolling  organ-harmony 

Swells  up,  and  shakes  and  falls. 
Then  move  the  trees,  the  copses  nod, 

Wings  flutter,  voices  hover  clear: 
''O  just  and  faithful  knight  of  God! 

Ride  on!  the  prize  is  near." 
So  pass  I  hostel,  hall,  and  grange; 

By  bridge  and  ford,  by  park  and  pale, 
All-arm 'd  I  ride,  whate'er  betide, 

Until  I  find  the  Holy  Grail. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


SIEGFRIED 


NOW  there  dwelt  in  a  castle  in  the  Netherland  a 
certain  King,  Siegmund  by  name,  who  had  to 
wife  a  fair  lady  Sieglind.  These  two  had  a  son 
whom  they  called  Siegfried,  a  very  gallant  prince.  Very 
carefully  did  they  train  and  teach  him,  but  the  root  of 
the  matter  was  in  the  lad  himself,  for  he  had  an  honest 
and  good  heart,  and  was  in  all  things  a  very  perfect 
knight.  This  Siegfried  being  come  to  man's  estate,  and 
being  well  practised  in  arms,  and  having  also  as  much  of 
wealth  as  he  needed,  turned  his  thoughts  to  marriage, 
desiring  to  win  a  fair  bride  for  himself. 

It  came  to  Prince  Siegfried's  ears  that  there  was  a  very 
fair  maiden  in  the  Rhineland,  and  that  many  noble 
knights  had  come  from  far  and  wide  to  make  their  suits 
to  her,  but  that  she  wouid  have  none  of  them.  Never 
yet  had  she  seen  the  man  whom  she  would  take  for  her 
husband.  All  this  the  Prince  heard,  and  he  said,  "This 
Kriemhild  will  I  have  for  my  wife."  But  King  Siegmund, 
when  he  heard  of  his  son's  purpose,  was  not  a  little 
troubled  thereat;  and  Queen  Sieglind  wept,  for  she 
knew  the  brother  of  Kriemhild,  and  she  was  aware  of  the 
strength  and  valour  of  his  warriors.  So  they  said  to  the 
Prince,  "Son,  this  is  not  a  wise  wooing."  But  Siegfried 
made  answer,  "My  father,  I  will  have  none  of  wedlock, 
if  I  may  not  marry  where  I  love."  Thereupon  the  King 
said.  "If  thou  canst  not  forego  this  maiden,  then  thou 
shalt  have  all  the  help  that  I  can  give." 

89 


po  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Queen  Sieglind  said:  ''If  you  are  still  minded  to  go, 
then  I  will  prepare  for  you  and  your  companions  the  best 
raiment  that  ever  warrior  wore." 

Siegfried  bowed  low  to  his  mother,  saying:  "So  be 
it;  only  remember  that  twelve  comrades  only  will  I  take 
with  me." 

So  the  Queen  and  her  ladies  sat  stitching  night  and  day, 
taking  no  rest  till  the  raiment  was  ready.  King  Sieg- 
mund  the  while  commanded  that  the  men  should  polish 
their  war-gear,  coats  of  mail,  and  helmets,  and  shields. 

The  thirteen  comrades  departed  and,  on  the  seventh 
day,  they  rode  into  the  town  of  Worms  in  Rhineland,  a 
gallant  company,  bravely  arrayed,  for  their  garments 
flashed  with  gold,  and  their  war-gear,  over  their  coats 
of  mail  and  their  helmets,  were  newly  polished.  Their 
long  swords  hung  down  by  their  sides,  even  to  their 
spurs,  and  sharp  were  the  javelins  which  they  held 
in  their  hands.  The  javelin  of  Siegfred  was 
two  spans  broad  in  the  blade,  and  had  a  double 
edge.  Terrible  were  the  wounds  that  it  made.  Their 
bridles  were  gilded,  and  their  horse-girths  of  silk. 
A  comely  sight  they  were  to  see,  and  the  people  came 
from  all  round  to  gaze  upon  them. 

Tidings  had  been  brought  to  King  Gunther  that  cer- 
tain warriors  were  come,  very  gallant  to  look  upon  and 
richly  clad,  but  that  no  one  kenw  who  they  were,  and 
whence  they  came.  "Now,"  said  the  King,  "this 
troubles  me  much  that  no  one  can  tell  whence  these  war- 
riors come."  To  him  Ortwein,  the  High  Server,  made 
answer,  "Seeing,  sire,  that  no  man  knows  aught  about 
these  strangers,  let  some  one  fetch  Hagen,  my  uncle; 
he  knows  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the  dwellers 
therein." 


Siegfried  91 

So  Hagen  went  to  the  window  and  looked  at  the  men. 
Well  pleased  was  he  with  their  clothing  and  their  gear 
of  war;  but  he  had  never  seen  their  like  in  the  Rhine- 
land.  So  he  said:  ''Whencesoever  these  men  have 
come,  my  lord,  that  they  are  princes  or  of  a  prince's 
company  is  clear.  But  stay ;  Siegfried,  the  famous  hero, 
I  have  never  seen  with  my  eyes,  but  I  verily  believe  that 
is  he.  If  it  indeed  be,  there  is  no  warrior  in  this  land, 
that  is  his  match  for  strength  and  valour. 

''Once  upon  a  time  riding  alone,  with  none  to  help 
him,  he  came  upon  the  treasure  of  the  Nibelungs.  It 
had  been  newly  taken  out  of  the  hollow  of  a  mountain, 
and  the  Nibelungs  were  making  ready  to  share  it.  And 
when  they  saw  him,  one  cried  aloud,  'Here  comes 
Siegfried,  the  great  champion  from  the  Netherland!' 
So  the  two  princes  of  the  Nibelungs  bade  him  welcome, 
and  would  have  him  divide  the  treasure  among  them. 
A  mighty  store  it  was,  of  jewels  such  plenty  that  scarce 
five-score  wagons  could  carry  them  away,  and  of  red  gold 
yet  more.  All  this  they  would  have  Siegfried  divide 
among  them.  And  for  his  wages  they  gave  him  the  Nibel- 
ungs' sword.  But  little  did  they  know  what  should  be- 
fall at  his  hand.  For  lol  ere  he  had  ended  his  dividing, 
they  stirred  up  strife  against  him.  Twelve  stout  com- 
rades had  the  princes,  and  with  these  the  princes  thought 
to  have  slain  Siegfried.  But  they  availed  nought;  with 
the  very  sword  which  they  had  given  him  for  his  reward 
— Balmung  was  its  name — he  slew  them  all.  The  giants 
he  slew,  and  the  Kings  also,  and  when  Albrich  the  dwarf 
would  have  avenged  his  lords — for  he  was  the  keeper  of 
the  treasure — Siegfried  overcame  him  also,  and  wrested 
from  him  the  Hood  of  Darkness,  which  whoso  dons, 
straightway  he  vanishes  from  the  sight  of  all  men.     , 


92  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

''But  the  treasure  he  would  not  take  for  himself. 
'Carry  it  back,'  said  he  to  Albrich  the  dwarf,  'to  the  hole 
whence  it  was  taken,  and  keep  if  for  me.  And  you  shall 
swear  a  great  oath  to  do  me  any  service  that  I  shall  ask  of 
you,  whensoever  and  wheresoever  may  seem  good  to 
me.' 

"Another  story  have  I  heard  tell  of  Siegfried,  how  he 
slew  a  dragon  with  his  own  hand  and  sword,  and  how 
he  bathed  him  in  the  dragon's  blood,  and  made  his  skin 
so  hard  and  horny  that  no  sword  may  pierce  it.  Let  us 
therefore  receive  him  with  all  courtesy;  for  verily  he  is 
a  right  strong  and  valiant  knight,  and  'tis  better,  I  ween, 
to  be  his  friend  than  his  enemy." 

"Methinks  thou  art  right,"  said  King  Gunther.  "Let 
us  go  down  and  greet  him  courteously." 

Never  were  guests  more  honoured  as,  of  a  surety, 
never  guests  had  bolder  mien.  And  as  the  days  went  by 
the  Kings  and  their  guests  gave  themselves  to  sport  and 
pastime;  but  whatever  they  did,  Siegfried  was  ever 
the  first;  none  could  put  the  stone  so  far,  or  cast  the 
spear  with  so  sure  an  aim.  Sometimes  the  fair  ladies  of 
the  court  looked  on,  and  not  a  few  looked  on  the  young 
Prince  from  the  Netherland  w^th  favour.  But  he  had 
ever  one  only  in  his  heart,  ever  the  fair  Kriemhild. 

King  Gunther  purposed  in  his  heart  to  marry  a  wife. 
No  daughter  of  his  own  land  would  he  woo,  though  there 
were  many  fair  maidens  in  the  Rhineland.  But  there 
came  to  him  tidings  of  a  Queen  that  dwelt  beyond  the  sea ; 
not  to  be  matched  was  she  for  beauty,  nor  had  she  any 
peer  for  strength.  Her  love  she  proffered  to  any  warrior 
who  could  vanquish  her  at  three  games,  hurling  of  the 
spear,  and  putting  the  stone,  and  leaping.  But  if  the 
suitor  himself  should  be  vanquished,  then  must  he  lose 


Siegfried  93 

his  head.     Such  were  the  conditions  of  her  wooing,  and 
many  brave  warriors  had  died  for  her. 

On  a  certain  day  King  Gunther  and  his  chiefs  sat  in 
council,  and  the  matter  was  this — where  shall  the  King 
seek  a  wife  who  shall  both  be  for  a  comfort  to  him  and 
for  a  glory  to  the  land?  Then  spake  the  King,  "I  will 
seek  Queen  Brunhild  and  no  other.  For  her  will  I 
hazard  my  life ;  nor  do  I  care  to  live  if  I  may  not  win  her 
for  my  wife."  To  him  spake  Siegfried,  "I  would  have 
you  give  up  this  purpose.  He  who  woos  Brunhild  plays  for 
too  high  a  stake.  Take  my  counsel,  sire,  and  go  not  on 
such  a  journey."  "I  should  think  it  scorn,"  said  he, 
"to  fear  a  woman,  were  she  ever  so  bold  and  strong." 
''Ah,  sire,"  Siegfried  made  answer,  "you  know  not  how 
strong  she  is.  Were  you  four  men  and  not  one  only,  you 
could  not  prevail  over  her." 

But  King  Gunther  would  not  yield.  "How  strong 
soever  she  be,  and  whatever  the  chances  that  befall  me, 
I  will  woo  this  fair  Brunhild,"  he  said.  Then  said 
Hagen,  the  King's  uncle,  "Since  you  are  resolved  to  take 
in  hand  this  enterprise,  ask  Prince  Siegfried  to  help  you." 
Then  said  King  Gunther  to  Siegfried,  "Will  you  help  me 
to  win  this  Brunhild  for  my  wife  ?  Do  this,  and  ask  of 
me  what  you  will."  Siegfried  made  answer,  "Give  me 
your  sister:  I  ask  no  other  rew^ard  but  that  I  may  have 
the  fair  Kriemhild  to  wife."  "That  I  promise,"  said 
the  King.  "  Of  a  surety,  so  soon  as  I  shall  have  brought 
the  fair  Brunhild  to  this  realm,  then  will  I  give  you  my 
sister  to  wife;  and  I  pray  from  my  heart  that  you  may 
live  long  and  happily  together."  Then  the  two  sware 
to  each  other. 

"Tell  me  now,"  said  Gunther,  "how  shall  we  travel 
to  this  land  where  Brunhild  dwells?     Shall  we  go  in 


94  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

such  state  as  befits  a  King  ?  If  you  think  fit,  I  could  well 
bring  together  thirty  thousand  warriors."  "Thirty 
thousand  would  avail  nothing."  answered  Siegfried,  "so 
strong  she  is  and  savage.  We  will  take  no  army,  but 
go  as  simple  knights,  taking  two  companions  with  us, 
and  the  two  shall  be  Sir  Hagen  and  Sir  Dank  wart." 
"And  wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?"  said  King 
Gunther.  "As  richly  as  maybe,"  answered  Siegfried. 
"My  mother  has  a  great  store  of  goodly  raiment,"  said 
the  King.  Then  spake  Hagen,  "Nay,  sire,  go  not  to  the 
Queen,  but  rather  to  your  sister.  She  will  provide  all 
things  that  you  need." 

So  they  went  to  the  Lady  Kriemhild  and  told  her  all 
their  purpose,  and  how  they  should  need  goodly  raiment, 
three  changes  for  the  day,  and  that  for  four  days.  With 
good  will  did  the  fair  Kriemhild  receive  them,  and 
promised  that  she  would  give  them  what  they  needed. 
As  she  promised,  so  she  did;  for  she  and  her  ladies,  thirty 
maids  skilful  in  the  work  of  the  needle,  laboured  night 
and  day  to  furnish  a  rich  store  of  apparel.  The  fair 
Kriemhild  planned  them  and  cut  them  to  just  measure 
with  her  own  hand  and  her  ladies  sewed  them.  Silks 
there  were,  some  from  Arabia,  white  as  snow,  and  from 
the  Lesser  Asia  others,  green  as  grass,  and  strange  skins 
of  fishes  from  distant  seas,  and  fur  of  the  ermine,  with 
black  spots  on  snowy  white,  and  precious  stones  and 
gold  of  Arabia.  In  seven  weeks  all  was  prepared,  both 
apparel  and  also  arms  and  armour ;  and  there  was  nothing 
that  was  either  over-long  or  over-short,  or  that  could  be 
surpassed  for  comeliness.  Great  thanks  did  the  war- 
riors give  to  each  fair  seamstress,  and  to  Kriemhild  the 
beautiful  the  greatest  thanks  of  all. 

So   the   four  companions   embarked    on    their    ship. 


Siegfried  95 

with  Siegfried  for  their  helmsman,  for  he  knew  all  the 
tides  and  currents  of  Rhine.  Well  furnished  were  they 
with  food  and  wine  and  all  things  that  they  needed;  and 
prosperous  was  their  voyage,  both  while  they  sailed  down 
the  river  and  while  they  crossed  the  sea. 

On  the  twelfth  morning  they  came  to  the  land  of 
Queen  Brunhild.  And  when  King  Gunther  saw  how 
the  coast  stretched  far  away,  and  how  on  every  height 
there  stood  a  fair  castle,  he  said  to  Siegfried,  ''Tell  me, 
Siegfried,  if  you  can,  whose  are  those  castles,  and  this 
fair  land.  Never  in  all  my  life,  I  assure  you,  have  I 
seen  castles  so  fairly  planned  and  built  so  well."  Siegfried 
made  answer,  "These  castles  and  this  fair  land  are 
Queen  Brunhild's  and  this  strong  fortress  that  you  see 
is  Isenstein.  And  now,  my  comrades,  I  have  a  counsel 
for  your  ears.  To-day  we  shall  stand  in  Queen  Brun- 
hild's court,  and  we  must  be  wise  and  wary  when  we 
stand  before  her.  Let  therefore  one  and  the  same  story 
be  found  in  the  mouth  of  all — that  Gunther  is  my  master, 
and  that  I  am  Gunther's  man.  If  we  would  win  our 
purpose  there  is  no  surer  plan  than  this."  So  spake 
Siegfried  to  his  comrades.  And  to  the  King  he  said, 
''Mark,  I  pray  you,  what  I  do  for  the  love  of  your  fair 
sister." 

While  they  talked  one  to  the  other  the  bark  drifted  so 
near  to  the  shore  that  they  could  see  the  maidens  stand- 
ing at  the  castle  windows.  "Who  are  these?"  said 
King  Gunther  to  Siegfried.  Said  Siegfried,  "Look  with 
all  your  eyes  at  these  fair  ladies,  and  tell  me  which  of 
them  pleases  you  best,  and  which,  could  you  win  her,  you 
would  choose  for  your  wife."  Gunther  made  answer, 
"One  that  I  see  at  yonder  window  in  a  snow-white  vest 
is  surely  the  loveliest  of  all.     She,  if  I  can  win  her,  shall 


96  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

surely  be  my  wife."  ''You  have  chosen  well,"  said 
Siegfried;  "that  maiden  in  the  snow-white  vest  is  Brun- 
hild, the  fairest  and  fiercest  of  women." 

Meanwhile  the  Queen  had  bidden  her  maidens  depart 
from  the  windows.  ''  'Tis  a  shame,"  said  she,  ''that  you 
should  make  yourselves  a  sight  for  strangers." 

And  now  came  the  four  comrades  from  their  bark  to 
the  castle.  Siegfried  led  a  noble  charger  by  the  bridle, 
and  stood  by  the  stirrup  till  King  Gunther  had  mounted, 
serving  him  as  a  vassal  serves  his  lord.  This  Brunhild 
marked  from  where  she  stood.  "A  noble  lord,"  thought 
she  in  her  heart,  "whom  such  a  vassal  serves."  Then 
Siegfried  mounted  his  own  steed,  and  Hagen  and  Dank- 
wart  did  the  like.  A  fairer  company  never  was  seen. 
The  King  and  Siegfried  were  clothed  in  white,  and  white 
were  their  horses,  and  their  shields  flashed  far  as  they 
moved.  So,  in  lordly  fashion,  they  rode  to  the  hall  of 
Queen  Brunhild,  and  the  bells  of  gold  that  hung  from 
their  saddles  tinkled  as  they  went.  Hagen  and  Dank- 
wart,  on  the  other  hand,  wore  black  apparel,  and  their 
chargers  were  black. 

Meanwhile  the  fair  Brunhild  inquired  of  her  nobles 
who  these  strangers  might  be  that  had  come  across  the 
sea,  and  on  what  errand  they  had  come.  One  of  them 
answered,  "Fair  lady,  I  have  never  seen  these  stout 
warriors,  save  one  only,  who  is  greatly  like  to  the  noble 
Siegfried.  If  this  be  he,  I  would  have  you  give  him  a 
hearty  welcome.  Next  to  him  is  a  man  of  right  royal 
mien,  a  King,  I  trow,  who  rules  with  his  sceptre  mighty 
lands  and  herd.  The  third  has  a  lowering  brow,  but  is 
a  stout  warrior  withal;  the  fourth  is  young  and  modest 
of  look,  but  for  all  his  gentle  bearing,  we  should  all  rue  it, 
I  trow,  if  wrong  were  done  to  him." 


Siegfried  97 

Then  spake  Queen  Brunhild,  ''Bring  me  now  my 
royal  vesture;  if  Siegfried  seeks  to  woo  me  for  his  wife, 
he  must  risk  his  Hfe  on  the  cast;  I  fear  him  not  so  much 
as  to  yield  to  him  without  a  struggle."  So  the  Queen 
arrayed  her  in  her  royal  robes,  and  went  to  the  hall  of 
audience,  and  a  hundred  maidens  and  more  followed 
her,  fair  of  face  and  in  fair  array.  And  after  the  maidens 
came  five  hundred  warriors  and  more,  each  bearing  his 
sword  in  his  hand,  the  very  flower  of  Isenland. 

Said  Queen  Brunhild  to  Siegfried,  ''You  are  welcome, 
good  Sir  Siegfried.  Show  me,  if  you  will,  for  what  cause 
you  have  come  hither."  "I  thank  you  a  thousand  times," 
answered  Siegfried,  "that  you  have  greeted  me  so  courte- 
ously, but  know  that  I  must  give  place  to  this  noble  hero. 
He  is  my  lord  and  master;  I  am  his  vassal.  Let  your 
favour  be  for  him.  His  kingdom  is  by  the  Rhine  side, 
and  we  have  sailed  all  this  way  from  thence  that  he  may 
woo  you  for  his  bride.  That  is  his  fixed  intent,  nor 
will  he  yield  whatever  may  befall.  Gunther  is  his  name; 
a  great  King  is  he,  and  nothing  will  content  him  but  to 
carry  you  back  with  him  to  the  Rhine." 

Queen  Brunhild  answered,  "If  he  is  the  master  and 
you  the  man,  then  let  him  know  that  he  must  match  me 
in  my  games  and  conquer  me.  If  he  prevail,  then  will 
I  be  his  wedded  wife ;  but  if  I  prevail,  then  must  he  die, 
he  and  you  and  all  his  comrades."  Then  spake  Sir 
Hagen,  "  Lady,  tell  us  now  the  games  at  which  my  master 
must  contend;  and  know  that  you  must  strive  full  hard, 
if  you  would  conquer  him,  for  he  has  a  full  trust  that  he 
will  win  you  for  his  bride."  The  Queen  answered,  "He 
must  cast  the  stone  further  than  I,  and  also  leap  behind 
it  further  than  I  leap;  and  also  he  must  cast  the  spear 
with  me.    It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  over-hasty;   let 


98  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

him  count  the  cost,  ere  he  lose  both  fame  and  Hfe." 
Then  Siegfried  whispered  to  the  King,  "Have  no  fear 
for  what  shall  be,  and  cast  away  all  your  care.  Let  the 
fair  Brunhild  do  what  she  will,  I  will  bear  you  harmless." 
So  the  King  spake  aloud,  "Fairest  of  the  fair,  tell  me 
your  pleasure ;  were  it  a  greater  task  willingly  would  I 
undertake  it,  for  if  I  win  you  not  for  my  bride,  willingly 
will  I  lose  my  head." 

Then  the  fair  Brunhild  called  for  her  battle  gear,  her 
arms,  and  her  breastplate  of  gold  and  her  mighty  shield; 
and  over  all  she  drew  a  surcoat  of  silk,  marvellously 
made.  Fierce  and  angry  was  her  countenance  as  she 
looked  at  the  strangers,  and  Hagen  and  Dankwart 
were  troubled  to  see  her,  for  they  doubted  how 
it  might  go  with  their  master.  '"Tis  a  fatal  journey," 
said  they,  "and  will  bring  us  to  trouble." 

Meanwhile  Siegfried  hied  him  with  nimble  foot  to  the 
bark,  and  there  he  took,  from  the  secret  corner  where  he 
kept  it,  the  Hood  of  Darkness,  by  which,  at  his  will,  he 
could  make  himself  invisible.  Quickly  did  he  go,  and 
quickly  returned,  and  now  no  one  could  see  him,  for  he 
wore  the  hood.  Through  the  crowd  he  went  at  his 
pleasure,  seeing  all  but  seen  of  none. 

Meanwhile  men  had  marked  out  the  ring  for  the  fray, 
and  chiefs  had  been  chosen  as  umpires,  seven  hundred 
men  in  armour  who  should  judge  betwixt  the  combatants. 
First  of  the  two  came  the  fair  Brunhild.  So  mighty  was 
her  presence,  a  man  had  thought  her  ready  to  match 
herself  in  battle  with  all  the  Kings  in  the  world.  And 
there  was  carried  before  her  a  mighty  shield  of  ruddy 
gold,  very  thick  and  broad  and  heavy,  overlaid  with 
studs  of  steel.  Four  chamberlains  could  scarce  bear  the 
weight.     Sir  Hagen,  when  he  saw  it,  said,  "How  now, 


Siegfried  99 

my  lord  King  ?  this  fair  one  whom  you  would  woo  must 
surely  be  the  devil's  wife."  Next  came  three  men  who 
scarce  could  carry  the  Queen's  javelin,  with  its  mighty 
spear-head,  heavy  and  great  as  though  three  had  been 
melted  into  one.  And  when  King  Gunther  saw  it,  he  said 
to  himself,  "This  is  a  danger  from  which  the  devil  him- 
self can  scarce  escape.  I  would  that  I  were  once  more 
by  the  banks  of  Rhine;  he  that  would  might  woo  and 
win  this  fair  maiden  for  me."  After  this  there  was 
brought  the  mighty  stone  which  Brunhild  was  to  hurl. 
Twelve  knights  could  scarce  support  it,  so  big  it  was. 

And  now  the  Queen  addressed  her  to  the  contest,  roll- 
ing her  sleeves  about  her  arms,  and  fitting  her  buckler, 
and  poising  her  mighty  spear  in  her  hand.  And  the 
strangers,  when  they  saw  it,  were  sore  afraid  for  all  their 
courage. 

But  now  came  Siegfried  to  King  Gunther's  side  and 
touched  his  hand.  Greatly  amazed  was  the  King  for 
he  did  not  understand  his  champion's  device.  "Who 
was  it  that  touched  me?"  he  said,  and  looked  round,  but 
saw  no  one.  "'Tis  I,"  answered  the  Prince,  "your 
trusty  friend,  Siegfried.  Have  no  fear  of  the  maiden. 
Let  me  carry  the  buckler;  you  shall  seem  to  do  each  deed, 
but  I  will  do  it  in  truth.  But  be  careful  to  hide  the  device. 
Should  the  maiden  discover  it,  she  will  not  spare  to  bring 
it  to  nought."  Right  glad  was  Gunther  to  know  that  his 
strong  ally  was  at  hand. 

And  now  the  Queen  threw  the  spear  with  all  her 
might  against  the  shield  Siegfried  bore  upon  his  arm. 
New  was  the  shield  and  stout  of  make,  but  the  spear- 
head passed  clean  through  it,  and  rang  on  the  hero's 
coat  of  mail,  dealing  him  so  sore  a  blow  that  the  blood 
gushed  forth  from  his  mouth.     Of  a  truth,  but  for  the 


lOO  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Hood  of  Darkness,  that  hour  both  the  champions  had 
died.  Then  Siegfried  caught  the  great  spear  in  his 
hand,  and  tore  it  from  the  shield,  and  hurled  it  back. 
*'She  is  too  fair  to  slay,"  said  he  to  himself,  and  he  turned 
the  spear  point  behind  him,  and  smote  the  maiden  with 
the  shaft  on  the  silken  vest  that  she  wore.  Loud  rang 
the  blow,  and  the  fire-sparks  leapt  from  her  armour. 
Never  could  Gunther,  for  all  his  strength,  have  dealt  such 
a  blow,  for  it  felled  the  strong  Brunhild  to  the  ground. 
Lightly  did  she  leap  up  again,  crying,  "King  Gunther, 
I  thank  you  for  the  blow;  'twas  shrewdly  given,"  for  she 
thought  that  the  King  had  dealt  it. 

But  great  was  the  wrath  in  her  heart  to  find  that  her 
spear  had  sped  in  vain.  And  now  she  turned  to  the  great 
stone  where  it  lay,  and  poised  it  in  her  hand,  and  hurled 
it  with  all  her  might.  And  having  hurled  it,  she  herself 
leapt  after  it.  Twelve  full  arms'  length  hurtled  the 
great  stone  through  the  air,  so  mighty  was  the  maiden, 
and  she  herself  overpassed  it  by  a  pace.  Then  came 
Gunther  to  the  place,  with  Siegfried  unseen  by  his  side. 
And  Siegfried  caught  the  stone  and  poised  it — but  it 
seemed  to  all  as  if  Gunther  did  it — ^and  threw  it  yet 
another  arm's  length  beyond  the  cast  of  the  maid,  and 
passed  the  stone  himself,  aye,  and  carried  King  Gunther 
along  with  him,  so  mighty  was  he! 

But  when  the  Queen  saw  that  she  was  vanquished, 
she  flushed  with  shame  and  wrath,  and  turning  to  her 
lords,  she  spake  aloud,  "Come  hither,  my  kinsmen  and 
lieges.  You  must  now  be  thralls  of  King  Gunther  of 
Burgundy." 

So  the  chiefs  of  Isenland  laid  their  swords  at  Gunther's 
feet  and  did  him  homage,  for  they  thought  that  he  had 
vanquished  by  his  own  strength;  and  he,  for  he  was  a 


Siegfried  loi 

very  gentle,  courteous  knight,  greeted  the  maid  right 
pleasantly,  and  she,  for  her  part,  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
said,  "Henceforth,  Sir  King,  all  the  rule  and  power  that 
I  have  held  is  yours." 

There  is  no  need  to  tell  how  Gunther  and  Brunhild  and 
all  their  company  travelled  to  Rhineland  with  great  joy, 
and  how  Queen  Ute  and  her  sons  and  the  fair  Kriemhild, 
and  all  the  people  of  the  land,  gave  them  a  hearty  wel- 
come and  how  in  due  time  King  Gunther  was  married 
to  the  fair  Brunhild.  Nor  is  there  need  of  many  words  to 
relate  how  Siegfried  also  took  to  wife  the  beautiful  Kriem- 
hild,  as  it  had  been  promised  him.  Nor  were  there  any 
to  gainsay  save  Brunhild  only,  for  she  grudged  that  her 
husband's  sister  should  be  given  to  a  vassal,  for  such  in 
truth  she  deemed  him  to  be.  Very  ill  content  she  was, 
though  the  King  would  fain  have  satisfied  her,  saying  that 
he  was  a  very  noble  knight,  and  was  lord  of  many  wood- 
lands, and  had  great  store  of  gold  and  treasure. 

So  Siegfried  wedded  the  fair  Kriemhild  and  took  her 
with  him  to  his  own  land.  A  goodly  welcome  did  the 
Netherlands  give  her.  And  Siegmund  gave  up  his  king- 
dom to  his  son,  and  the  two  lived  in  much  peace  and  love 
together;  and  when  in  the  tenth  year  a  son  was  born  to 
them,  they  called  him  by  the  name  of  his  uncle  Gunther. 

Also  Gunther  and  Brunhild  lived  together  in  much 
happiness.  They  also  had  a  son,  and  they  called  him 
by  the  name  of  Siegfried. 

But  Brunhild  was  ill  content  that  Siegfried  being, 
for  so  she  deemed,  her  husband's  vassal,  should  pay  no 
homage  to  his  lord  and  do  no  service  for  his  fee.  And 
she  was  very  urgent  with  her  husband  that  he  should 
suffer  this  no  longer.  But  the  King  was  fain  to  put  her 
off.     *'Nay,"  said  he,  ''the  journey  is  too  long.     Their 


102  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

land  is  far  from  ours;  why  should  we  trouble  him  to 
come?  Also  he  is  a  great  prince  and  a  powerful." 
''  Be  he  as  great  as  he  will,"  she  answered,  "  'tis  a  vassal's 
duty  to  pay  homage  to  his  lord."  But  Gunther  laughed 
to  himself.  Little  thought  had  he  of  homage  from  Sieg- 
fried. Then  the  Queen  changed  her  voice.  "Dear 
lord,"  she  said,  ''how  gladly  would  I  see  Siegfried  and 
your  dear  sister  once  more.  Well  do  I  remember  how 
fair  she  was  and  how  kind,  how  gracious  of  speech  when 
we  sat  together,  brides  both  of  us."  With  such  words 
she  persauded  her  husband.  "There  are  no  guests  that 
would  be  more  welcome,"  said  he;  "I  will  find  messen- 
gers who  shall  bid  them  come  to  the  Rhineland." 

Great  was  the  joy  in  Rhineland  when  the  messengers 
returned  and  told  how  they  had  been  welcomed  and 
royally  entertained  and  loaded  with  gifts,  and  how  that 
Siegfried  and  his  Queen  Kriemhild  and  a  company  of 
gallant  knights  were  coming  to  the  festival.  Great  was 
the  joy  and  manifold  the  preparations. 

No  sooner  did  the  King  hear  the  news  than  he  sought 
out  Queen  Brunhild  where  she  sat  in  her  chamber.  ' '  Bear 
you  in  mind,"  said  he,  "how  Kriemhild  my  sister  wel- 
comed you  when  you  came  hither  from  your  own  land. 
Do  you,  therefore,  dear  wife,  welcome  her  with  the  like 
affection."     "So  shall  it  be,"  answered  the  Queen. 

And  indeed,  when  the  guests  came,  right  royal  was  the 
welcome  that  they  had.  For  Gunther  and  Brunhild  rode 
forth  from  the  city  to  meet  them,  and  greeted  them  most 
heartily.  All  was  mirth  and  jollity.  By  the  day  there 
were  tilts  and  tournaments  and  sports  of  every  kind,  and 
at  night  there  was  feasting  in  the  hall.  And  so  they  did 
for  twelve  days. 

But  Brunhild  ever  cherished  a  thought  of  mischief  in 


Siegfried  103 

her  heart.  "Why,"  she  said  to  herself,  "why  has  Sieg- 
fried stayed  so  long  to  do  homage  for  that  which  he  holds 
of  us  in  fee?  I  shall  not  be  content  till  Kriemhild  an- 
swer me  in  this." 

It  fell  out  on  a  certain  day,  while  sundry  knights  were 
in  the  castle  court,  that  the  two  Queens  sat  together. 
The  fair  Kriemhild  then  began,  "My  husband  is  so 
mighty  a  man  that  he  should  rule  these  kingdoms  of 
right."  "Nay,."  answered  Brunhild,  "that  might  be 
were  you  and  your  husband  only  alive,  and  all  others 
dead,  but  so  long  as  Gunther  lives  he  must  needs  be 
King."  Then  said  fair  Kriemhild,  "See  how  he  shines 
among  the  knights,  a  very  moon  among  the  stars." 
Brunhild  answered,  "However  brave  and  strong  he  may 
be,  and  stately  to  look  upon,  Gunther,  your  brother,  is 
better  than  he."  "Nay,"  said  Kriemhild,  "better  he 
is  not,  nay,  nor  even  his  peer."  "How  say  you?"  an- 
swered Brunhild  in  wrath;  "I  spake  not  without  cause. 
When  I  saw  the  two  for  the  first  time,  then  I  heard  with 
my  own  ears  how  Siegfried  confessed  that  he  was  Gun- 
ther's  man.  Yea,  I  heard  him  say  it,  and  I  hold  him  to  be 
such."  "This  is  folly,"  said  Kriemhild;  "think  you 
that  my  brothers  could  have  given  me  to  be  bride  to  a 
vassal?  Away,  Brunhild,  with  such  idle  talk,  if  we 
would  still  be  friends."  "I  will  not  away  with  it," 
Brunhild  made  answer.  "Shall  I  renounce  the  service 
which  he  and  all  the  vassals  are  bound  to  render  to 
their  lord?"  "Renounce  it  you  must,"  cried  Kriemhild 
in  great  wrath.  "The  service  of  a  vassal  he  will  never 
do;  he  is  of  higher  degree  than  Gunther  my  brother, 
though  Gunther  is  a  noble  King."  "You  bear  yourself 
far  too  proudly,"  answered  Brunhild. 

But  the  deadliest  cause  of  quarrel  was  yet  to  come. 


104  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Said  Queen  Kriemhild  to  Queen  Brunhild  when  next  she 
saw  her:  ''Think  you  that  when  you  were  vanquished 
in  your  own  land  it  was  Gunther,  my  brother,  that  van- 
quished you?"  ''Yea,"  answered  the  Queen,  "did  I 
not  see  it  with  my  own  eyes?"  "Nay,"  said  Kriemhild, 
"it  was  not  so.  See  you  this  ring?"  And  she  took  a 
ling  that  she  had  upon  her  finger  and  held  it  forth.  "  Do 
you  know  it?"  And  Brunhild  looked  and  knew  it  for 
her  own.  "That,"  said  Kriemhild,  "Siegfried,  my  hus- 
band, took  from  you  when  you  were  smitten  by  his  spear 
and  knew  not  what  had  befallen  you,  so  sore  was  the  blow. 
You  saw  him  not,  for  he  had  the  Hood  of  Darkness  on 
him  and  was  invisible.  But  it  was  he  that  smote  you 
with  the  spear,  and  put  the  stone  further  than  you,  and 
passed  you  in  the  leap.  And  this  ring  he  gave  me  for  a 
token,  if  ever  you  should  boast  yourself  against  me. 
Talk,  therefore,  no  more  of  lords  and  vassals.  My  hus- 
band feigned  this  vassalage  that  he  might  deceive  you  the 
more  readily." 

But  Brunhild  held  her  peace,  for  the  ring  was  a  proof 
which  she  could  not  gainsay.  She  held  her  peace,  but 
she  cherished  her  rage,  keeping  it  in  the  depths  of  her 
heart,  and  sware  that  she  would  be  avenged  on  the  man 
that  had  so  deceived  her. 

When  Hagen  saw  that  Queen  Brunhild  was  in  con- 
tinual trouble  and  sadness  he  would  fain  know  the 
cause.  "  'Tis  of  Siegfried's  doing,"  she  answered. 
"He  has  wronged  me  beyond  pardon."  And  she  be- 
sought him  that  he  would  avenge  her  and  King 
Gunther  upon  him. 

So  Hagan  plotted  evil,  saying  enemies  were  coming 
against  Gunther,  and  Siegfried  and  his  knights  made  them 
ready  to  go  forth  to  the  King's  defence.     And  of  the 


Siegfried  105 

chiefs  of  Rhineland  not  a  few  offered  themselves  as  com- 
rades, knowing  nothing  of  the  treachery  that  Hagen  and 
his  fellows  were  preparing  against  him. 

But  before  they  departed  Hagen  went  to  bid  farewell 
to  Queen  Kriemhild.  Said  she,  ''I  have  good  comfort 
in  my  heart  to  think  how  valiant  a  husband  I  have,  and 
how  zealous  he  is  to  help  his  friends,  for  I  have  loved  my 
kinsmen  always,  nor  ever  wished  them  ill."  "Tell  me, 
dear  lady,"  said  Hagen,  ''what  service  I  can  do  to  your 
husband,  for  there  is  no  one  whom  I  love  better  than  him." 
The  Queen  made  answer,  ''I  have  no  fear  that  my  lord 
will  fall  in  battle  by  any  man's  sword,  save  only  that  he  is 
too  ready  to  follow  even  to  rashness  his  own  warlike 
spirit."  ''Dear  lady,"  said  Hagen,  ''if  there  is  any  dan- 
ger which  you  hold  in  special  fear,  tell  me  that  I  may 
defend  him  against  it."  Then  Kriemhild,  in  the  simple- 
ness  of  her  heart,  told  him  the  secret.  "In  years  gone  by," 
said  she,  "my  husband  slew  a  dragon  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  when  he  had  slain  the  monster,  he  bathed  him- 
self in  its  blood.  So  mighty  was  the  charm,  that  thence- 
forth no  steel  had  power  to  wound  him.  And  yet,  for  all 
this,  I  am  ever  in  fear  lest  by  some  mischance  a  weapon 
should  pierce  him.  Hearken  now,  my  cousin,  for  you 
are  of  my  kindred,  hearken,  and  see  how  I  put  my  trust 
in  your  honour.  While  Siegfried  washed  his  limbs  in  the 
blood  of  the  dragon,  there  fell  a  leaf  from  a  linden  tree 
between  his  shoulders.  There  and  there  only  can  steel 
harm  him."  "'Tis  easy,"  said  the  false  Hagen,  "for  me 
to  defend  sosmall  a  spot.  Only  do  you  sew  a  little  token 
on  his  cloak,  that  I  may  the  better  know  the  spot  that 
most  needs  protection  when  we  stand  together  in  the 
fight."  "I  will  do  so,"  said  the  Queen;  "I  will  sew  a 
little  cross  with  threads  of  silk  on  his  cloak,  and  you  will 


io6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

guard  him  when  he  fights  in  the  throng  of  his  foes.* 
"That  will  I  do,  dear  lady,"  said  the  traitor. 

Hagen  went  straightway  to  King  Gunther  and  said, 
"I  have  learnt  that  which  I  needed  to  know;  put  off  this 
march;  let  us  go  on  a  hunt.  So  that  which  we  would  do 
will  be  easier  done."  'T  will  order  that,"  answered  the 
King. 

Siegfried,  before  he  set  out  for  the  hunting,  bade  fare- 
well to  his  wife:  ''God  grant,"  said  he,  "that  we  may 
soon  meet  happily  again;  meanwhile  be  merry  among 
your  kinsfolk  here."  But  Kriemhild  thought  of  how  she 
had  discovered  the  secret  to  Hagen,  and  was  sore  afraid, 
yet  dared  not  tell  the  truth.  Only  she  said  to  her  hus- 
band, "I  pray  you  to  leave  this  hunting.  Only  this  night 
past  I  had  an  evil  dream.  I  saw  two  wild  boars  pur- 
suing you  over  the  heath,  and  the  flowers  were  red  as  with 
blood.  Greatly  I  fear  some  treason,  my  Siegfried." 
^'Nay,"  said  he,  "there  is  not  one  in  Rhineland  here  that 
bears  me  ill-will.  Whom  have  I  wronged?"  "I  know 
not,"  answered  the  Queen,"  but  yet  my  heart  bodes  evil. 
For  I  had  yet  another  dream.  I  seemed  to  see  two 
mountains  fall  with  a  terrible  noise  on  your  head.  If 
you  go,  you  will  break  my  heart."  But  he  laughed  at 
her  fears,  and  kissed  her,  and  so  departed. 

Then  Siegfried  went  on  the  hunting,  and  Gunther  and 
Hagen  went  with  him,  and  a  company  of  hunters  and 
hounds.  When  they  came  to  the  forest  Siegfried  said, 
^'Now  who  shall  begin  the  hunting?"  Hagen  made 
answer,  "Let  us  divide  into  two  companies  ere  we  begin, 
and  each  shall  beat  the  coverts  as  he  will ;  so  shall  we  see 
who  is  the  more  skilful  in  the  chase."  "I  need  no  pack," 
said  Siegfried;  "give  me  one  well-trained  hound  that  can 
track  the  game  through  the  coverts.     That  will  suffice  for 


Siegfried  107 

me."  So  a  lime-hound  was  given  to  him.  All  that  the 
good  hound  started  did  Siegfried  slay;  no  beast  could 
outrun  him  or  escape  him.  A  wild  boar  first  he  slew, 
and  next  to  the  boar  a  lion ;  he  shot  an  arrow  through  the 
beast  from  side  to  side.  After  the  lion  he  slew  a  buffalo 
and  four  elks,  and  a  great  store  of  game  besides,  so  that 
the  huntsmen  said,  ''Leave  us  something  in  our  woods, 
Sir  Siegfried.  " 

King  Gunther  bade  blow  the  horn  for  breakfast.  When 
Siegfried's  huntsman  heard  the  blast  he  said:  ''Our 
hunting-time  is  over;  we  must  back  to  our  comrades." 
So  they  went  with  all  speed  to  the  trysting-place. 

The  whole  company  sat  down  to  their  meal.  There 
was  plenty  of  every  kind,  but  wine  was  wanting.  "How 
is  this?"  said  Siegfried:  "the  kitchen  is  plentiful;  but 
where  is  the  wine?"  Said  Gunther  the  King,  "'Tis 
Hagen's  fault,  who  makes  us  all  go  dry."  "True,  Sir 
King,"  said  Hagen,  "my  fault  it  is.  But  I  know  of  a 
runnel,  cold  and  clear,  that  is  hard  by.  Let  us  go  thither 
and  quench  our  thirst."  Then  Siegfried  rose  from  his 
place,  for  his  thirst  was  sore,  and  would  have  sought  the 
place.  Said  Hagen,  when  he  saw  him  rise,  "I  have  heard 
say  that  there  is  no  man  in  all  the  land  so  fleet  of  foot  as 
Siegfried.  Will  he  deign  to  let  us  see  his  speed  ?"  "  With 
all  my  heart,"  cried  the  hero.  "Let  us  race  from  hence 
to  the  runnel."  "'Tis  agreed,"  said  Hagen  the  traitor. 
"Furthermore,"  said  Siegfried,  "I  will  carry  all  the  equip- 
ment that  I  bare  in  the  chase."  So  Gunther  and  Hagen 
stripped  them  to  their  shirts,  but  Siegfried  carried  sword 
and  spear,  all  his  hunting-gear,  and  yet  was  far  before 
the  two  at  the  runnel. 

Yet,  such  was  his  courtesy,  that  he  would  not  drink 
before  the  King  had  quenched  his  thirst.     He  was  ill 


io8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

repaid,  I  trow,  for  his  grace.  For  when  the  King  had 
drunk,  as  Siegfried  knelt  plunging  his  head  into  the 
stream.  Sir  Hagen  took  his  spear  and  smote  him  on  the 
little  crosslet  mark  that  was  worked  on  his  cloak  between 
his  shoulders.  And  when  he  had  struck  the  blow  he 
fled  in  mortal  fear.  When  Siegfried  felt  that  he  was 
wounded,  he  rose  with  a  great  bound  from  his  knees  and 
sought  for  his  weapons.  But  these  the  false  Hagen  had 
taken  and  laid  far  away.  Only  the  shield  was  left.  This 
he  took  in  his  hand  and  hurled  at  Hagen  with  such  might 
that  it  felled  the  traitor  to  the  ground,  and  was  itself 
broken  to  pieces.  If  the  hero  had  but  had  his  good  sword 
Balmung  in  his  hand,  the  murderer  had  not  escaped  with 
his  life  that  day. 

Then  all  the  Rhineland  warriors  gathered  about  him. 
Among  them  was  King  Gunther,  making  pretence  to 
lament.  To  him  said  Siegfried,  "Little  it  profits  to 
bewail  the  man  whose  murder  you  have  plotted.  Did 
I  not  save  you  from  shame  and  defeat?  Is  this  the  re- 
compense that  you  pay  ?  And  yet  even  of  you  I  would 
ask  one  favour.  Have  some  kindness  for  my  wife.  She 
is  your  sister;  if  you  have  any  knightly  faith  and  honour 
remaining,  guard  her  well."  Then  there  came  upon 
him  the  anguish  of  death.  Yet  one  more  word  he  spake, 
"Be  sure  that  in  slaying  me  you  have  slain  yourselves." 
And  when  he  had  so  spoken  he  died. 

Then  they  laid  his  body  on  a  shield  and  carried  it  back, 
having  agreed  among  themselves  to  tell  this  tale,  that  Sir 
Siegfried  having  chosen  to  hunt  by  himself  was  slain  by 
robbers  in  the  wood. 


CHAPTER   IX 

ROLAND 

THE  trumpets  sounded  and  the  army  went  on 
its  way  to  France.  The  next  day  King  Charles 
called  his  lords  together.  '*You  see,"  said  he,  ''these 
narrow  passes.  Whom  shall  I  place  to  command  the 
rearguard?  Choose  you  a  man  yourselves."  Said 
Ganelon,  "Whom  should  we  choose  but  my  son-in-law, 
Count  Roiand?  You  have  no  man  in  your  host  so 
valiant.  Of  a  truth  he  will  be  the  salvation  of  France. " 
The  King  said  when  he  heard  these  words,  "What  ails 
you,  Ganelon?    You  look  like  to  one  possessed." 

When  Count  Roland  knew  what  was  proposed  con- 
cerning him,  he  spake  out  as  a  true  knight  should  speak 
"I  am  right  thankful  to  you,  my  father-in-law,  that  you 
have  caused  me  to  be  put  in  this  place.  Of  a  truth  the 
King  of  France  shall  lose  nothing  by  my  means, 
neither  charger,  nor  mule,  nor  packhorse,  nor  beast  of 
burden. " 

Then  Roland  turned  to  the  King  and  said,  "Give  me 
twenty  thousand  only,  so  they  be  men  of  valour,  and  I 
will  keep  the  passes  in  all  safety.  So  long  as  I  shall  live, 
you  need  fear  no  man. " 

Then  Roland  mounted  his  horse.  With  him  were 
Oliver  his  comrade,  and  Otho  and  Berenger,  and  Gerard 
of  Roussillon,  an  aged  warrior,  and  others,  men  of 
renown.  And  Turpin  the  Archbishop  cried,  "By  my 
head,  I  will  go  also. "  So  they  chose  twenty  thousand 
warriors  with  whom  to  keep  the  passes. 

109 


no  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Meanwhile  King  Charles  had  entered  the  valley  of 
Roncesvalles.  High  were  the  mountains  on  either  side 
of  the  way,  and  the  valleys  were  gloomy  and  dark.  But 
when  the  army  had  passed  through  the  valley,  they  saw 
the  fair  land  of  Gascony,  and  as  they  saw  it  they  thought 
of  their  homes  and  their  wives  and  daughters.  There 
was  not  one  of  them  but  wept  for  very  tenderness  of 
heart.  But  of  all  that  company  there  was  none  sadder 
than  the  King  himself,  when  he  thought  how  he  had 
left  his  nephew  Count  Roland  behind  him  in  the  passes 
of  Spain. 

And  now  the  Saracen  King  Marsilas  began  to  gather 
his  army.  He  laid  a  strict  command  on  all  his  nobles 
and  chiefs  that  they  should  bring  with  them  to  Saragossa 
as  many  men  as  they  could  gather  together.  And  when 
they  were  come  to  the  city,  it  being  the  third  day  from 
the  issuing  of  the  King's  command,  they  saluted  the 
great  image  of  Mahomet,  the  false  prophet,  that  stood 
on  the  topmost  tower.  This  done  they  went  forth  from 
the  city  gates.  They  made  all  haste,  marching  across 
the  mountains  and  valleys  of  Spain  till  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  standard  of  France,  where  Roland  and 
Oliver  and  the  Twelve  Peers  were  ranged  in  battle 
array. 

The  Saracen  champions  donned  their  coats  of  mail, 
of  double  substance  most  of  them,  and  they  set  upon 
their  heads  helmets  of  Saragossa  of  well-tempered  metal, 
and  they  girded  themselves  with  swords  of  Vienna.  Fair 
were  their  shields  to  view,  their  lances  were  from  Valentia, 
their  standards  were  of  white,  blue,  and  red.  Their 
mules  they  left  with  the  servants,  and,  mounting  their 
chargers,  so  moved  forwards.  Fair  was  the  day  and 
bright  the  sun,  as  their  armour  flashed  in  the  light  and 


Roland  itt 

the  drums  were  beaten  so  loudly  that  the  Frenchmen 
heard  the  sound. 

Said  Oliver  to  Roland,  ''Comrade,  methinks  we  shall 
soon  do  battle  with  the  Saracens."  "God  grant  it," 
answered  Roland.  "'Tis  our  duty  to  hold  the  place  for 
the  King,  and  we  will  do  it,  come  what  may.  As  for 
me,  I  will  not  set  an  ill  example. " 

Oliver  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  saw  from  thence 
the  whole  army  of  the  heathen.  He  cried  to  Roland  his 
companion,  "I  see  the  flashing  of  arms.  We  men  of 
France  shall  have  no  small  trouble  therefrom.  This  is 
the  doing  of  Ganelon  the  traitor." 

"Be  silent,"  answered  Roland,  "till  you  shall  know; 
say  no  more  about  him." 

Oliver  looked  again  from  the  hilltop,  and  saw  how 
the  Saracens  came  on.  So  many  there  were  that  he  could 
not  count  their  battalions.  He  descended  to  the  plain 
with  all  speed,  and  came  to  the  array  of  the  French,  and 
said,  "I  have  seen  more  heathen  than  man  ever  yet  saw 
together  upon  the  earth.  There  are  a  hundred  thousand 
at  the  least.  We  shall  have  such  a  battle  with  them  as 
has  never  before  been  fought.  My  brethren  of  France, 
quit  you  like  men,  be  strong;  stand  firm  that  you  be  not 
conquered."  And  all  the  army  shouted  with  one  voice, 
"  Cursed  be  he  that  shall  fly. " 

Then  Oliver  turned  to  Roland,  and  said,  "Sound  your 
horn;  my  friend,  Charles  will  hear  it,  and  will  return." 
"I  were  a  fool,"  answered  Roland,  "so  to  do.  Not  so; 
but  I  will  deal  these  heathen  some  mighty  blows  with 
Durendal  my  sword.  They  have  been  ill-advised  to 
venture  into  these  passes.  I  swear  that  they  are  con- 
demned to  death,  one  and  all." 

After  a  while,   Oliver  said  again,   "Friend  Roland, 


112  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sound  your  horn  of  ivory.  Then  will  the  King  return^ 
and  bring  his  army  with  him,  to  our  help. "  But  Roland 
answered  again,  *'I  will  not  do  dishonour  to  my  kinsmen, 
or  to  the  fair  land  of  France.  I  have  my  sword;  that 
shall  suffice  for  me.  These  evil-minded  heathen  are 
gathered  together  against  us  to  their  own  hurt.  Surely 
not  one  of  them  shall  escape  from  death. "  ''As  for  me, " 
said  Oliver,  "I  see  not  where  the  dishonour  would  be. 
I  saw  the  valleys  and  the  mountains  covered  with  the 
great  multitude  of  Saracens.  Theirs  is,  in  truth,  a  mighty 
array,  and  we  are  but  few,"  "So  much  the  better," 
answered  Roland.  "It  makes  my  courage  grow.  'Tis 
better  to  die  than  to  be  disgraced.  And  remember,  the 
harder  our  blows  the  more  the  King  will  love  us. " 

Roland  was  brave,  but  Oliver  was  wise.  "  Consider, " 
he  said,  "comrade.  These  enemies  are  over-near  to  us, 
and  the  King  over-far.  Were  he  here,  we  should  not 
be  in  danger;  but  there  are  some  here  to-day  who  will 
never  fight  in  another  battle." 

Then  Turpin  the  Archbishop  struck  spurs  into  his 
horse,  and  rode  to  a  hilltop.  Then  he  turned  to  the  men 
of  France,  and  spake:  "Lords  of  France,  King  Charles 
has  left  us  here;  our  King  he  is,  and  it  is  our 
duty  to  die  for  him.  To-day  our  Christian  Faith 
is  in  peril:  do  ye  fight  for  it.  Fight  ye  must;  be 
sure  of  that,  for  there  under  your  eyes  are  the  Saracens. 
Confess,  therefore,  your  sins,  and  pray  to  God  that  He 
have  mercy  upon  you.  And  now  for  your  soul's  health 
I  will  give  you  all  absolution.  If  you  die,  you  will  be 
God's  martyrs,  every  one  of  you,  and  your  places  are 
ready  for  you  in  His  Paradise." 

Thereupon  the  men  of  France  dismounted,  and  knelt 
upon  the  ground,  and  the  Archbishop  blessed  them  in 


Roland  113 

God's  name.  ''But  look,"  said  he,  "  I  set  you  a 
penance — smite  these  pagans."  Then  the  men  of 
France  rose  to  their  feet.  They  had  received  absolu- 
tion, and  were  set  free  from  all  their  sins,  and  the  Arch- 
bishop had  blessed  them  in  the  name  of  God.  After  this 
they  mounted  their  swift  steeds,  and  clad  themselves  in 
armour,  and  made  themselves  ready  for  the  battle. 

Said  Roland  to  Oliver,  "Brother,  you  know  that  it  is 
Ganelon  who  has  betrayed  us.  Good  store  he  has  had 
of  gold  and  silver  as  a  reward;  'tis  the  King  Marsilas 
that  has  made  merchandise  of  us,  but  verily  it  is  with  our 
swords  that  he  shall  be  paid."  So  saying,  he  rode  on 
to  the  pass,  mounted  on  his  good  steed  Veillantif.  His 
spear  he  held  with  the  point  to  the  sky;  a  white  flag  it 
bore  with  fringes  of  gold  which  fell  down  to  his  hands. 
A  stalwart  man  was  he,  and  his  countenance  was  fair  and 
smiling.  Behind  him  followed  Oliver,  his  friend;  and 
the  men  of  France  pointed  to  him,  saying,  "See  our 
champion!"  Pride  was  in  his  eye  when  he  looked 
towards  the  Saracens ;  but  to  the  men  of  France  his  regard 
was  all  sweetness  and  humility.  Full  courteously  he 
spake  to  them:  "Ride  not  so  fast,  my  lords,"  he  said; 
"verily  these  heathen  are  come  hither,  seeking  martyr- 
dom. 'Tis  a  fair  spoil  that  we  shall  gather  from  them 
to-day.  Never  has  King  of  France  gained  any  so  rich. " 
And  as  he  spake,  the  two  hosts  came  together. 

Said  Oliver,  "You  did  not  deem  it  fit,  my  lord,  to 
iound  your  horn.  Therefore  you  lack  the  help  which 
the  King  would  have  sent.  Not  his  the  blame,  for  he 
knows  nothing  of  what  has  chanced.  But  do  you,  lords 
of  France,  charge  as  fiercely  as  you  may,  and  yield  not 
one  whit  to  the  enemy.  Think  upon  these  two  things 
only — how  to  deal  a  straight  blow  and  to  take  it.     And 


114  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

let  us  not  forget  King  Charles's  cry  of  battle. "  Then 
all  the  men  of  France  with  one  voice  cried  out, 
"Mountjoy!"  He  that  heard  them  so  cry  had  never 
doubted  that  they  were  men  of  valour.  Proud  was  their 
array  as  they  rode  on  to  battle,  spurring  their  horses  that 
they  might  speed  the  more.  And  the  Saracens,  on  their 
part,  came  forward  with  a  good  heart.  Thus  did  the 
Frenchmen  and  the  heathen  meet  in  the  shock  of  battle. 
Full  many  of  the  heathen  warriors  fell  that  day.  Not 
one  of  the  Twelve  Peers  of  France  but  slew  his  man. 
But  of  all  none  bare  himself  so  valiantly  as  Roland. 
Many  a  blow  did  he  deal  to  the  enemy  with  his  mighty 
spear,  and  when  the  spear  was  shivered  in  his  hand, 
fifteen  warriors  having  fallen  before  it,  then  he  seized 
his  good  sword  Durendal,  and  smote  man  after  man 
to  the  ground.  Red  w^as  he  with  the  blood  of  his 
enemies,  red  was  his  hauberk,  red  his  arms,  red  his 
shoulders,  aye,  and  the  neck  of  his  horse.  Not  one  of 
the  Twelve  lingered  in  the  rear,  or  was  slow  to  strike, 
but  Count  Roland  was  the  bravest  of  the  brave.  ''Well 
done.  Sons  of  France!"  cried  Turpin  the  Archbishop, 
when  he  saw  them  lay  on  in  such  sort. 

Next  to  Roland  for  valour  and  hardihood  came 
Oliver,  his  companion.  Many  a  heathen  warrior  did 
he  slay,  till  at  last  his  spear  was  shivered  in  his  hand. 
"What  are  you  doing,  comrade?"  cried  Roland,  when 
he  was  aware  of  the  mishap.  ''A  man  wants  no  staff  in 
such  a  battle  as  this.  'Tis  the  steel  and  nothing  else 
that  he  must  have.  Where  is  your  sword  Hautclere, 
with  its  hilt  of  gold  and  its  pommel  of  crystal?"  "On 
my  word,"  said  Oliver,  *'I  have  not  had  time  to  draw 
it;  I  was  so  busy  with  striking."  But  as  he  spake  he 
drew  the  good  sword  from  its  scabbard,  and  smote    a 


Roland  115 

heathen  knight,  Justin  of  the  Iron  Valley.  A  mighty 
blow  it  was,  cleaving  the  man  in  twain  down  to  his  saddle 
— aye,  and  the  saddle  itself  with  its  adorning  of  gold  and 
jewels,  and  the  very  backbone  also  of  the  steed  whereon 
he  rode,  so  that  horse  and  man  fell  dead  together  on  the 
plains.  "Well  done!"  cried  Roland;  "you  are  a  true 
brother  of  mine.  *Tis  such  strokes  as  this  that  make  the 
King  love  us. " 

Nevertheless,  for  all  the  valour  of  Roland  and  his 
fellows  the  battle  went  hard  with  the  men  of  France. 
Many  lances  were  shivered,  many  flags  torn,  and  many 
gallant  youths  cut  ofif  in  their  prime.  Never  more 
would  they  see  mother  and  wife.  It  was  an  ill  deed  that 
the  traitor  Ganelon  wrought  when  he  sold  his  fellows  to 
King  Marsilas ! 

And  now  there  befell  a  new  trouble.  King  Almaris, 
with  a  great  host  of  heathen,  coming  by  an  unknown  way, 
fell  upon  the  rear  of  the  host  where  there  was  another 
pass.  Fiercely  did  the  noble  Walter  that  kept  the  same 
charge  the  newcomers,  but  they  overpowered  him  and 
his  followers.  He  was  wounded  with  four  several  lances, 
and  four  times  did  he  swoon,  so  that  at  the  last  he 
was  constrained  to  leave  the  field  of  battle,  that  he  might 
call  the  Count  Roland  to  his  aid.  But  small  was  the 
aid  which  Roland  could  give  him  or  any  one.  Valiantly 
he  held  up  the  battle,  and  with  him  Oliver,  and  Turpin 
the  Archbishop,  and  others  also;  but  the  lines  of  the  men 
of  France  were  broken,  and  their  armour  thrust  through'," 
and  their  spears  shivered,  and  their  flags  trodden  in 
the  dust.  For  all  this  they  made  such  slaughter  among 
the  heathen  that  King  Almaris,  who  led  the  armies  of 
the  enemy,  scarcely  could  win  back  his  way  to  his  own 
people,  wounded  in  four  places  and  sorely  spent.     A 


ii6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

right  good  warrior  was  he;  had  he  but  been  a  Christian 
but  few  had  matched  him  in  battle. 

Count  Roland  saw  how  grievously  his  people  had 
suffered  and  spake  thus  to  Oliver  his  comrade:  ''Dear 
comrade,  you  see  how  many  brave  men  lie  dead  upon  the 
ground.  Well  may  we  mourn  for  fair  France,  widowed 
as  she  is  of  so  many  valiant  champions.  But  why  is  our 
King  not  here?  O  Oliver,  my  brother,  what  shall  we 
do  to  send  him  tidings  of  our  state?"  "I  know  not,'^ 
answered  Oliver.  "Only  this  I  know — that  death  is  to 
be  chosen  rather  than  dishonour." 

After  a  while  Roland  said  again,  "I  shall  blow  my 
horn ;  King  Charles  will  hear  it,  where  he  has  encamped 
beyond  the  passes,  and  he  and  his  host  will  come  back." 
"That  would  be  ill  done,"  answered  Oliver,  "and  shame 
both  you  and  your  race.  When  I  gave  you  this  counsel 
you  would  have  none  of  it.  Now  I  like  it  not.  'Tis  not 
for  a  brave  man  to  sound  the  horn  and  cry  for  help  now 
that  we  are  in  such  case."  "The  battle  is  too  hard  for 
us,"  said  Roland  again,  "and  I  shall  sound  my  horn, 
that  the  King  may  hear."  And  Oliver  answered  again, 
"When  I  gave  you  this  counsel,  you  scorned  it.  Now  I 
myself  like  it  not.  'Tis  true  that  had  the  King  been  here, 
we  had  not  suffered  this  loss.  But  the  blame  is  not  his. 
*Tis  your  folly.  Count  Roland,  that  has  done  to  death  all 
these  men  of  France.  But  for  that  we  should  have  con- 
quered in  this  battle,  and  have  taken  and  slain  King 
Marsilas.  But  now  we  can  do  nothing  for  France  and 
the  King.  We  can  but  die.  Woe  is  me  for  our  country, 
aye,  and  for  our  friendship,  which  will  come  to  a  grievous 
end  this  day." 

The  Archbishop  perceived  that  the  two  friends  were 
at  variance,  and  spurred  his  horse  till  he  came  where 


Roland  117 

they  stood.  "Listen  to  me/'  he  said,  "Sir  Roland  and 
Sir  Oliver.  I  implore  you  not  to  fall  out  with  each  other 
in  this  fashion.  We,  sons  of  France,  that  are  in  this 
place,  are  of  a  truth  condemned  to  death,  neither  will 
the  sounding  of  your  horn  save  us,  for  the  King  is  far 
away,  and  cannot  come  in  time.  Nevertheless,  I  hold  it 
to  be  well  that  you  should  sound  it.  When  the  King  and 
his  army  shall  come,  they  will  find  us  dead — that  I  know 
full  well.  But  they  will  avenge  us,  so  that  our  enemies 
shall  not  go  away  rejoicing.  And  they  will  also  recover 
our  bodies,  and  will  carry  them  away  for  burial  in 
holy  places,  so  that  the  dogs  and  wolves  shall  not  devour 
them." 

"You  say  well,"  cried  Roland,  and  he  put  his  horn  to 
his  lips,  and  gave  so  mighty  a  blast  upon  it,  that  the  sound 
was  heard  thirty  leagues  away.  King  Charles  and  his 
men  heard  it,  and  the  King  said,  "Our  countrymen  are 
fighting  with  the  enemy."  But  Ganelon  answered, 
"Sire,  had  any  but  you  so  spoken,  I  had  said  that  he 
spoke  falsely." 

Then  Roland  blew  his  horn  a  second  time;  with  great 
pain  and  anguish  of  body  he  blew  it,  and  the  red  blood 
gushed  from  his  lips;  but  the  sound  was  heard  yet  further 
than  at  first.  Again  the  King  heard  it,  and  all  his  nobles, 
and  all  his  men.  "That,"  said  he,  "is  Roland's  horn; 
he  never  had  sounded  it  were  he  not  in  battle  with  the 
enemy."  But  Ganelon  answered  again:  "Believe  me. 
Sire,  there  is  no  battle.  You  are  an  old  man,  and  you 
have  the  fancies  of  a  child.  You  know  what  a  mighty 
man  of  valour  is  this  Roland.  Think  you  that  any  one 
would  dare  to  attack  him?  No  one,  of  a  truth.  Ride 
on,  Sire,  why  halt  you  here?  The  fair  land  of  France  is » 
yet  far  away." 


ii8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Roland  blew  his  horn  a  third  time,  and  when  the  King 
heard  it  he  said,  "He  that  blew  that  horn  drew  a  deep 
breath."  And  Duke  Naymes  cried  out,  "Roland  is  in 
trouble;  on  my  conscience  he  is  fighting  with  the  enemy. 
Some  one  has  betrayed  him;  'tis  he,  I  doubt  not,  that 
would  deceive  you  now.  To  arms,  Sire!  utter  your  war- 
cry,  and  help  your  own  house  and  your  country.  You 
have  heard  the  cry  of  the  noble  Roland." 

Then  King  Charles  bade  all  the  trumpets  sound,  and 
forthwith  all  the  men  of  France  armed  themselves,  with 
helmets,  and  hauberks,  and  swords  with  pummels  of 
gold.  Mighty  were  their  shields,  and  their  lances  strong, 
and  the  flags  that  they  carried  were  white  and  red  and 
blue.  And  when  they  made  an  end  of  their  arm- 
ing they  rode  back  with  all  haste.  There  was  not 
one  of  them  but  said  to  his  comrade,  "If  we  find 
Roland  yet  alive,  what  mighty  strokes  will  we  strike  for 
him!" 

But  Ganelon  the  King  handed  over  to  the  knaves  of 
his  kitchen.  "Take  this  traitor,"  said  he,  "who  has  sold 
his  country."  Ill  did  Ganelon  fare  among  them.  They 
pulled  out  his  hair  and  his  beard  and  smote  him  with 
their  staves;  then  they  put  a  great  chain,  such  as  that 
with  which  a  bear  is  bound,  about  his  neck,  and  made 
him  fast  to  a  pack-horse. 

This  done,  the  King  and  his  army  hastened  with  all 
speed  to  the  help  of  Roland.  In  the  van  and  the  rear 
sounded  the  trumpets  as  though  they  would  answer 
Roland's  horn.  Full  of  wrath  was  King  Charles  as  he 
rode;  full  of  wrath  were  all  the  men  of  France.  There 
was  not  one  among  them  but  wept  and  sobbed;  there 
was  not  one  but  prayed,  "Now,  may  God  keep  Roland 
alive  till  we  come  to  the  battlefield,  so  that  we  may  strike 


Roland 


119 


a  blow  for  him."    Alas!   it  was  all  in  vain;   they  could 
not  come  in  time  for  all  their  speed. 

Count  Roland  looked  round  on  the  mountain-sides 
and  on  the  plains.  Alas !  how  many  noble  sons  of  France 
he  saw  lying  dead  upon  them!  "Dear  friends,"  he  said, 
weeping  as  he  spoke,  ''may  God  have  mercy  on  you  and 
receive  you  into  His  Paradise!  More  loyal  followers 
have  I  never  seen.  How  is  the  fair  land  of  France 
widowed  of  her  bravest,  and  I  can  give  you  no  help. 
Oliver,  dear  comrade,  we  must  not  part.  If  the  enemy 
slay  me  not  here,  surely  I  shall  be  slain  by  sorrow.  Come 
then,  let  us  smite  these  heathen." 

Thus  did  Roland  again  charge  the  enemy,  his  good 
sword  Durendal  in  his  hand;  as  the  stag  flies  before  the 
hounds,  so  did  the  heathen  fly  before  Roland.  ''By  my 
faith,"  cried  the  Archbishop  when  he  saw  him,  "that  is 
a  right  good  knight!  Such  courage,  and  such  a  steed, 
and  such  arms  I  love  well  to  see.  If  a  man  be  not  brave 
and  a  stout  fighter,  he  had  better  by  far  be  a  monk 
in  some  cloister  where  he  may  pray  all  day  long  for 
our  sins." 

Now  the  heathen,  when  they  saw  how  few  the  French- 
men were,  took  fresh  courage.  And  the  Caliph,  spurring 
his  horse,  rode  against  Oliver  and  smote  him  in  the  middle 
of  his  back,  making  his  spear  pass  right  through  him 
"That  is  a  shrewd  blow,"  he  cried;  "I  have  avenged  my 
friends  and  countrymen  upon  you." 

Then  Oliver  knew  he  was  stricken  to  death,  but  he 
would  not  fall  unavenged.  With  his  great  sword  Haut- 
clere  he  smote  the  Caliph  on  his  head  and  cleft  it  to  the 
teeth.  "Curse  on  you,  pagan.  Neither  your  wife  nor 
any  woman  in  the  land  of  your  birth  shall  boast  that  you 
have  taken  a  penny's  worth  from  King  Charles!"     But 


I20  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

to  Roland  he  cried,  ''Come,  comrade,  help  me;  well  I 
know  that  we  two  shall  part  in  great  sorrow  this  day,'' 

Roland  came  with  all  speed,  and  saw  his  friend,  how 
he  lay  all  pale  and  fainting  on  the  ground  and  how  the 
blood  gushed  in  great  streams  from  his  wound.  '^^I 
know  not  what  to  do,"  he  cried.  "This  is  an  ill  chance 
that  has  befallen  you.  Truly  France  is  bereaved  of  her 
bravest  son."  So  saying  he  went  near  to  swoon  in  the 
saddle  as  he  sat.  Then  there  befell  a  strange  thing. 
Oliver  had  lost  so  much  of  his  blood  that  he  could  not  any 
more  see  clearly  or  know  who  it  was  that  was  near  him. 
So  he  raised  up  his  arm  and  smote  with  all  his  strength 
that  yet  remained  to  him  on  the  helmet  of  Roland  his 
friend.  The  helmet  he  cleft  in  twain  to  the  visor;  but 
by  good  fortune  it  wounded  not  the  head.  Roland 
looked  at  him  and  said  in  a  gentle  voice,  "Did  you  this 
of  set  purpose  ?  I  am  Roland  your  friend,  and  have  not 
harmed  you."  "Ah!"  said  Oliver,  "I  hear  you  speak, 
but  I  cannot  see  you.  Pardon  me  that  I  struck  you; 
it  was  not  done  of  set  purpose."  "It  harmed  me  not," 
answered  Roland;  "with  all  my  heart  and  before  God 
I  forgive  you."  And  this  was  the  way  these  two  friends 
parted  at  the  last. 

And  now  Oliver  felt  the  pains  of  death  come  over  him. 
He  could  no  longer  see  nor  hear.  Therefore  he  turned 
his  thoughts  to  making  his  peace  with  God,  and  clasping 
his  hands  lifted  them  to  heaven  and  made  his  confession. 
"O  Lord,"  he  said,  "take  me  into  Paradise.  And  do 
Thou  bless  King  Charles  and  the  sweet  land  of  France." 
And  when  he  had  said  thus  he  died.  And  Roland  looked 
at  him  as  he  lay.  There  was  not  upon  earth  a  more  sor- 
rowful man  than  he.  "Dear  comrade,"  he  said,  "this 
is  indeed  an  evil  day.     Many  a  year  have  we  two  been 


Roland 


121 


together.  Never  have  I  done  wrong  to  you;  never  have 
you  done  wrong  to  me.  How  shall  I  bear  to  live  with- 
out you.^"  And  he  swooned  where  he  sat  on  his  horse. 
But  the  stirrup  held  him  up  that  he  did  not  fall  to  the 
ground. 

When  Roland  came  to  himself  he  looked  about  him 
and  saw  how  great  was  the  calamity  that  had  befallen 
his  army.  For  now  there  were  left  alive  to  him  two  only, 
Turpin  the  Archbishop  and  Walter  of  Hum.  Walter 
had  but  that  moment  come  down  from  the  hills  where 
he  had  been  fighting  so  fiercely  with  the  heathen  that  all 
his  men  were  dead;  now  he  cried  to  Roland  for  help. 
''Noble  Count,  where  are  you?  I  am  Walter  of  Hum, 
and  am  not  unworthy  to  be  your  friend.  Help  me 
therefore.  For  see  how  my  spear  is  broken  and  my 
shield  cleft  in  twain,  my  hauberk  is  in  pieces,  and  my 
body  sorely  wounded.  I  am  about  to  die;  but  I  have 
sold  my  life  at  a  great  price."  When  Roland  heard 
him  cry  he  set  spurs  to  his  horse  and  galloped  to  him. 
"Walter,"  said  he,  "you  are  a  brave  warrior  and  a 
trustworthy.  Tell  me  now  where  are  the  thousand 
valiant  men  whom  you  took  from  my  army.  They  were 
right  good  soldiers,  and  I  am  in  sore  need  of  them." 

"They  are  dead,"  answered  Walter;  "you  will  see 
them  no  more.  A  sore  battle  we  had  with  the  Saracens 
yonder  on  the  hills;  they  had  the  men  of  Canaan  there 
and  the  men  of  Armenia  and  the  Giants;  there  were  no 
better  men  in  their  army  than  these.  We  dealt  with 
them  so  that  they  will  not  boast  themselves  of  this  day's 
work.  But  it  cost  us  dear;  all  the  men  of  France  lie 
dead  on  the  plain,  and  I  am  wounded  to  the  death.  And 
now,  Roland,  blame  me  not  that  I  fled;  for  you  are 
my  lord,  and  all  my  trust  is  in. you." 


122  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know  ^ 

**I  blame  you  not,"  said  Roland,  ''  only  as  long  as  you 
live  help  me  against  the  heathen."  And  as  he  spake  he 
took  his  cloak  and  rent  it  into  strips  and  bound  up  Wal- 
ter's wounds  therewith.  This  done  he  and  Walter  and 
the  Archbishop  set  fiercely  on  the  enemy.  Five-and- 
twenty  did  Roland  slay,  and  Walter  slew  six,  and  the 
Archbishop  five.  Three  valiant  men  of  war  they  were; 
fast  and  firm  they  stood  one  by  the  other;  hundreds 
there  were  of  the  heathen,  but  they  dared  not  come  near 
to  these  three  valiant  champions  of  France.  They  stood 
far  off,  and  cast  at  the  three  spears  and  darts  and  javelins 
and  weapons  of  every  kind.  Walter  of  Hum  was  slain 
forthwith;  and  the  Archbishop's  armour  was  broken, 
and  he  wounded,  and  his  horse  slain  under  him.  Never- 
theless he  lifted  himself  from  the  ground,  still  keeping 
a  good  heart  in  his  breast.  ''They  have  not  overcome 
me  yet";  said  he,  ''as  long  as  a  good  soldier  lives,  he  does 
not  yield." 

Roland  took  his  horn  once  more  and  sounded  it,  for 
he  would  know  whether  King  Charles  were  coming. 
Ah  me!  it  was  a  feeble  blast  that  he  blew.  But  the  King 
heard  it,  and  he  halted  and  listened.  "My  lords!"  said 
he,  "things  go  ill  for  us,  I  doubt  not.  To-day  we  shall 
lose,  I  fear  me  much,  my  brave  nephew  Roland.  I  know 
by  the  sound  of  his  horn  that  he  has  but  a  short  time  to 
live.  Put  your  horses  to  their  full  speed,  if  you  would 
come  in  time  to  help  him,  and  let  a  blast  be  sounded  by 
every  trumpet  that  there  is  in  the  army."  So  all  the 
trumpets  in  the  host  sounded  a  blast ;  all  the  valleys  and 
hills  re-echoed  wuth  the  sound;  sore  discouraged  were 
the  heathen  when  they  heard  it.  "King  Charles  has 
come  again,"  they  cried;  "we  are  all  as  dead  men. 
When  he  comes  he  shall  not  find  Roland  alive."     Then 


Roland  123 

four  hundred  of  them,  the  strongest  and  most  valiant 
knights  that  were  in  the  army  of  the  heathen,  gathered 
themselves  into  one  company,  and  made  a  yet  fiercer 
assault  on  Roland. 

Roland  saw  them  coming,  and  waited  for  them  without 
fear.  So  long  as  he  lived  he  would  not  yield  himself  to 
the  enemy  or  give  place  to  them.  "Better  death  than 
flight,"  said  he,  as  he  mounted  his  good  steed  Veillantif, 
and  rode  towards  the  enemy.  And  by  his  side  went 
Turpin  the  Archbishop  on  foot.  Then  said  Roland  to 
Turpin,  ''I  am  on  horseback  and  you  are  on  foot.  But 
let  us  keep  together ;  never  will  I  leave  you ;  we  two  will 
stand  against  these  heathen  dogs.  They  have  not,  I 
warrant,  among  them  such  a  sword  as  Durendal." 
"Good,"  answered  the  Archbishop.  "Shame  to  the 
man  who  does  not  smite  his  hardest.  And  though  this 
be  our  last  battle,  I  know  well  that  King  Charles  will  take 
ample  vengeance  for  us." 

When  the  heathen  saw  these  two  stand  together  they 
fell  back  in  fear  and  hurled  at  them  spears  and  darts  and 
javelins  without  number.  Roland's  shield  they  broke 
and  his  hauberk;  but  him  they  hurt  not;  nevertheless 
they  did  him  a  grievous  injury,  for  they  killed  his  good 
steed  Veillantif.  Thirty  wounds  did  Veillantif  receive, 
and  he  fell  dead  under  his  master.  At  last  the  Arch- 
bishop was  stricken  and  Roland  stood  alone,  for  the 
heathen  had  fled  from  his  presence. 

When  Roland  saw  that  the  Archbishop  was  dead,  his 
heart  was  sorely  troubled  in  him.  Never  did  he  feel  a 
greater  sorrow  for  comrade  slain,  save  Oliver  only. 
"Charles  of  France,"  he  said,  "come  as  quickly  as  you 
may,  many  a  gallant  knight  have  you  lost  in  Roncesvalles. 
But  King  Marsilas,  on  his  part,  has  lost  his  army.     For 


124  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

one  that  has  fallen  on  this  side  there  has  fallen  full  forty 
on  that."  So  saying  he  turned  to  the  Archbishop;  he 
crossed  the  dead  man's  hands  upon  his  breast  and  said, 
"I  commit  thee  to  the  Father's  mercy.  Never  has  man 
served  his  God  with  a  better  will,  never  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  has  there  lived  a  sturdier  champion  of 
the  faith.  May  God  be  good  to  you  and  give  you  all 
good  things!" 

Now  Roland  felt  that  his  own  death  was  near  at  hand. 
In  one  hand  he  took  his  horn,  and  in  the  other  his  good 
sword  Durendal,  and  made  his  way  the  distance  of  a 
furlong  or  so  till  he  came  to  a  plain,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  plain  a  little  hill.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  in  the  shade 
of  two  fair  trees  were  four  marble  steps.  There  Roland 
fell  in  a  swoon  upon  the  grass.  There  a  certain  Saracen 
spied  him.  The  fellow  had  feigned  death,  and  had  laid 
himself  down  among  the  slain,  having  covered  his  body 
and  his  face  with  blood.  When  he  saw  Roland,  he  raised 
himself  from  where  he  was  lying  among  the  slain  and  ran 
to  the  place,  and,  being  full  of  pride  and  fury,  seized  the 
Count  in  his  arms,  crying  aloud,  ''He  is  conquered,  he  is 
conquered,  he  is  conquered,  the  famous  nephew  of  King 
Charles!  See,  here  is  his  sword;  'tis  a  noble  spoil  that  I 
shall  carry  back  with  me  to  Arabia."  Thereupon  he 
took  the  sword  in  one  hand,  with  the  other  he  laid  hold  of 
Roland's  beard.  But  as  the  man  laid  hold,  Roland  came 
to  himself,  and  knew  that  some  one  was  taking  his  sword 
from  him.  He  opened  his  eyes  but  not  a  word  did  he 
speak  save  this  only,  ''Fellow,  you  are  none  of  ours,"  and 
he  smote  him  a  mighty  blow  upon  his  helmet.  The  steel 
he  brake  through  and  the  head  beneath,  and  laid  the  man 
dead  at  his  feet.  "Coward,"  he  said,  "what  made 
you  so   bold   that   you   dared   lay  hands   on    Roland? 


Roland  125 

Whosoever  knows  him  will  think   you   a  fool  for  your 
deed." 

And  now  Roland  knew  that  death  was  near  at  hand. 
He  raised  himself  and  gathered  all  his  strength  together 
— ah  me!  how  pale  his  face  was! — and  took  in  his  hand 
his  good  sword  Durendal.  Before  him  was  a  great  rock  and 
on  this  in  his  rage  and  pain  he  smote  ten  mighty  blows. 
Loud  rang  the  steel  upon  the  stone;  but  it  neither  brake 
nor  splintered.  ''Help  me,"  he  cried,  ''O  Mary,  our 
Lady.  O  my  good  sword,  my  Durendal,  what  an  evil  lot 
is  mine!  In  the  day  when  I  must  part  with  you,  my 
power  over  you  is  lost.  Many  a  battle  I  have  won  with 
your  help;  and  many  a  kingdom  have  I  conquered,  that 
my  Lord  Charles  possesses  this  day.  Never  has  any  one 
possessed  you  that  would  fly  before  another.  So 
long  as  I  live,  you  shall  not  be  taken  from  me,  so  long 
have  you  been  in  the  hands  of  a  loyal  knight." 

Then  he  smote  a  second  time  with  the  sword,  this  time 
upon  the  marble  steps.  Loud  rang  the  steel,  but  neither 
brake  nor  splintered.  Then  Roland  began  to  bemoan 
himself,  *'0  my  good  Durendal,"  he  said,  "how  bright 
and  clear  thou  art,  shining  as  shines  the  sun!  Well  I 
mind  me  of  the  day  when  a  voice  that  seemed  to  come  from 
heaven  bade  King  Charles  give  thee  to  a  valiant  captain ; 
and  forthwith  the  good  King  girded  it  on  my  side.  Many 
a  land  have  I  conquered  with  thee  for  him,  and  now  how 
great  is  my  grief!  Can  I  die  and  leave  thee  to  be  handled 
by  some  heathen?"  And  the  third  time  he  smote  a  rock 
with  it.  Loud  rang  the  steel,  but  it  brake  not,  bounding 
back  as  though  it  would  rise  to  the  sky.  And  when 
Count  Roland  saw  that  he  could  not  break  the  sword,  he 
spake  again  but  with  more  content  in  his  heart.  ''O 
Durendal,"  he  said,  "a  fair  sword  art  thou,  and  holy  as 


126  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

fair.  There  are  holy  relics  in  thy  hilt,  relics  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Denis  and  St.  Basil.  These  heathen  shall  never 
possess  thee;  nor  shalt  thou  be  held  but  by  a  Christian 
hand." 

And  now  Roland  knew  that  death  was  very  near  to 
him.  He  laid  himself  down  with  his  head  upon  the  grass 
putting  under  him  his  horn  and  his  sword,  with  his  face 
turned  towards  the  heathen  foe.  Ask  you  why  he  did  so  ? 
To  shew,  forsooth,  to  Charlemagne  and  the  men  of 
France  that  he  died  in  the  midst  of  victory.  This  done 
he  made  a  loud  confession  of  his  sins,  stretching  his  hand 
to  heaven.  "Forgive  me.  Lord,"  he  cried,  "my  sins,  little 
and  great,  all  that  I  have  committed  since  the  day  of  my 
birth  to  this  hour  in  which  I  am  stricken  to  death."  So 
he  prayed;  and,  as  he  lay,  he  thought  of  many  things, 
of  the  countries  which  he  had  conquered,  and  of  his  dear 
Fatherland  France,  and  of  his  kinsfolk,  and  of  the  good 
King  Charles.  Nor,  as  he  thought,  could  he  keep  him- 
self from  sighs  and  tears;  yet  one  thing  he  remembered 
beyond  all  others — to  pray  for  forgiveness  of  his  sins. 
"O  Lord,"  he  said,  "Who  art  the  God  of  truth,  and  didst 
save  Daniel  Thy  prophet  from  the  lions,  do  Thou  save 
my  soul  and  defend  it  against  all  perils!"  So  speaking 
he  raised  his  right  hand,  with  the  gauntlet  yet  upon  it,  to 
the  sky,  and  his  head  fell  back  upon  his  arm  and  the 
angels  carried  him  to  heaven.  So  died  the  great  Count 
'^  eland. 


CHAPTER  X 

KING  ALFRED 

WE  NOW  come  to  the  great  King  Alfred,  the  best 
and  greatest  of  all  English  Kings.  We  know- 
quite  enough  of  his  history  to  be  able  to  say  that  he 
really  deserves  to  be  so  called,  though  I  must  warn 
you  that,  just  because  he  left  so  great  a  name  behind  him, 
people  have  been  fond  of  attributing  to  him  things  which 
really  belonged  to  others.  Thus  you  may  sometimes  see 
nearly  all  English  laws  and  customs  attributed  to  Alfred, 
as  if  he  had  invented  them  all  for  himself.  You  will 
sometimes  hear  that  Alfred  founded  Trial  by  Jury, 
divided  England  into  Counties,  and  did  all  kinds  of  other 
things.  Now  the  real  truth  is  that  the  roots  and  be- 
ginnings of  most  of  these  things  are  very  much  older  than 
the  time  of  Alfred,  while  the  particular  forms  in  which 
we  have  them  now  are  very  much  later.  But  people  have 
a  way  of  fancying  that  everything  must  have  been  in- 
vented by  some  particular  man,  and  as  Alfred  was  more 
famous  than  anybody  else,  they  hit  upon  Alfred  as  the 
most  likely  person  to  have  invented  them. 

But,  putting  aside  fables,  there  is  quite  enough  to  show 
that  there  have  been  very  few  Kings,  and  very  few  men  of 
any  sort,  so  great  and  good  as  King  Alfred.  Perhaps  the 
only  equally  good  King  we  read  of  is  Saint  Louis  of 
France;  and  though  he  was  quite  as  good,  we  cannot 
set  him  down  as  being  so  great  and  wise  as  Alfred.  Cer- 
tainly no  King  ever  gave  himself  up  more  thoroughly 
127 


128  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

than  Alfred  did  fully  to  do  the  duties  of  his  office.  His 
whole  life  seems  to  have  been  spent  in  doing  all  that  he 
could  for  the  good  of  his  people  in  every  way.  And  it  is 
wonderful  in  how  many  ways  his  powers  showed  them- 
selves. That  he  was  a  brave  warrior  is  in  itself  no  par- 
ticular praise  in  an  age  when  almost  every  man  was  the 
same.  But  it  is  a  great  thing  for  a  prince  so  large  a  part 
of  whose  time  was  spent  in  fighting  to  be  able  to  say 
that  all  his  wars  were  waged  to  set  free  his  country  from 
the  most  cruel  enemies. 

And  we  may  admire  too  the  wonderful  way  in  which 
he  kept  his  mind  always  straight  and  firm,  never  either 
giving  way  to  bad  luck  or  being  puffed  up  by  good  luck. 
We  read  of  nothing  like  pride  or  cruelty  or  injustice  of  any 
kind  either  towards  his  own  people  or  towards  his  en- 
emies. And  if  he  was  a  brave  warrior,  he  was  many 
other  things  besides.  He  was  a  lawgiver;  at  least  he 
collected  and  arranged  the  laws,  and  caused  them  to  be 
most  carefully  administered.  He  was  a  scholar,  and 
wrote  and  translated  many  books  for  the  good  of  his 
people.  He  encouraged  trade  and  enterprise  of  all  kinds, 
and  sent  men  to  visit  distant  parts  of  the  world,  and  bring 
home  accounts  of  what  they  saw.  And  he  was  a  thor- 
oughly good  man  and  a  devout  Christian  in  all  relations 
of  life.  In  short,  one  hardly  knows  any  other  character 
in  all  history  so  perfect ;  there  is  so  much  that  is  good  in 
so  many  different  ways ;  and  though  no  doubt  Alfred  had 
his  faults  like  other  people,  yet  he  clearly  had  none,  at 
any  rate  in  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  which  took  away  at 
all  seriously  from  his  general  goodness.  One  wonders 
that  such  a  man  was  never  canonized  as  a  Saint;  most 
certainly  many  people  have  received  that  name  who  did 
not  deserve  it  nearly  so  well  as  he  did. 


King  Alfred  129 

Alfred,  or,  as  his  name  should  really  be  spelled,  ^^Ifred,* 
was  the  youngest  son  of  King  ^Ethelwulf,  and  was  born 
at  Wantage  in  Berkshire  in  849.  His  mother  was  Osburh 
daughter  of  Oslac  the  King's  cup-bearer,  who  came  of 
the  royal  house  of  the  Jutes  in  Wight.  Up  to  the  age  of 
twelve  years  Alfred  was  fond  of  hunting  and  other  sports 
but  he  had  not  been  taught  any  sort  of  learning,  not  so 
much  as  to  read  his  own  tongue.  But  he  loved  the  old 
English  songs;  and  one  day  his  mother  had  a  beautiful 
book  of  songs  with  rich  pictures  and  fine  painted  initial 
letters,  such  as  you  may  often  see  in  ancient  books. 
And  she  said  to  her  children,  "I  will  give  this  beautiful 
book  to  the  one  of  you  who  shall  first  be  able  to  read 
it."  And  Alfred  said,  ''Mother,  will  you  really  give 
me  the  book  when  I  have  learned  to  read  it?"  And 
Osburh  said,  "Yes,  my  son."  So  Alfred  went  and 
found  a  master,  and  soon  learned  to  read.  Then  he 
came  to  his  mother,  and  read  the  songs  in  the  beautiful 
book  and  took  the  book  for  his  own. 

In  868,  when  he  was  in  his  twentieth  year,  while  his 
brother  i^thelred  was  King,  Alfred  married.  His  wife's 
name  was  Ealhswyth ;  she  was  the  daughter  of  ^thelred 
called  the  Mickle  or  Big,  Alderman  of  the  Gainas  in 
Lincolnshire,  and  her  mother  Eadburh  was  of  the  royal 
house  of  the  Mercians.  It  is  said  that  on  the  very  day 
of  his  marriage  he  was  smitten  with  a  strange  disease, 
which  for  twenty  years  never  quite  left  him,  and  fits  of 
which  might  come  on  at  any  time.  If  this  be  true,  it 
makes  all  the  great  things  that  he  did  even  more  wonder- 

al. 

Meanwhile  the  great  Danish  invasion  had  begun  in 

*  That  is,  the  rede  or  counsel  of  the  eives.  A  great  many  Old-English 
names  are  called  after  the  elves  or  fairies. 


130  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  northern  parts  of  England.     There  are  many  stories 
told  in  the  old  Northern  Songs  as  to  the  cause  of  it. 
Some  tell  how  Ragnar  Lodbrog,  a  great  hero  of  these 
Northern  tales,  was  seized  by  ^lla,  King  of  the  Northum- 
brians, and  was  thrown  into  a  dungeon  full  of  serpents, 
and  how,  while  he  was  dying  of  the  bites  of  the  serpents, 
he  sang  a  wonderful  death-song,  telling  of  all  his  old 
fights,  and  calling  on  his  sons  to  come  and  avenge  him. 
The  year  871    the  Danes  for  the  first    time  entered 
Wessex.     Nine  great  battles,  besides  smaller  skirmishes, 
were  fought  this  year,  in  some  of  which    the  English 
won  and  in  others  the  Danes.     One  famous  battle  was 
at  Ashdown,  in  Berkshire.     We  are  told  that  the  heathen 
men  were  in  two  divisions ;  one  was  commanded  by  their 
two  Kings  Bagsecg  and  Halfdene,  and  the  other  by  five 
Earls,   Sidroc   the   Old,    Sidroc   the   Young,    Osbeorn, 
Fraena,  and  Harold.     And  King  ^thelred  was  set  against 
the  Kings  and  Alfred  the  ^Etheling  against  the  Earls, 
And   the   heathen   men   came   on   against   them.     But 
King  i^thelred  heard  mass  in  his  tent.     And  men  said, 
''Come  forth,  O  King,  to  the  fight,  for  the  heathen  men 
press  hard  upon  us."     And  King  iEthelred  said,   ''I 
will  serve  God  first  and  man  after,  so  I  will  not  come 
forth  till  all  the  words  of  the  mass  be  ended. "     So  King 
iEthelred  abode  praying,  and  the  heathen  men  fought 
against  Alfred  the  ^theling.     And  Alfred  said,  "I  cannot 
abide  till  the  King  my  brother  comes  forth ;  I  must  either 
flee,  or  fight  alone  with  the  heathen  men. "     So  Alfred 
the  ^theling  and  his  men  fought  against  the  five  Earls. 
Now  the  heathen  men  stood  on  the  higher  ground  and 
the  Christians  on  the  lower.     Yet  did  Alfred  go  forth 
trusting  in  God,  and  he  made  his  men  hold  close  together 
with  their  shields,  and  they  went  forth  like  a  wild  boar 


King  Alfred  131 

against  the  hounds.  And  they  fought  against  the  heathen 
men  and  smote  them,  and  slew  the  five  Earls,  Sidroc  the 
Old,  Sidroc  the  Young,  Osbeorn,  Fraena,  and  Harold. 
Then  the  mass  was  over,  and  King  ^thelred  came  forth 
and  fought  against  the  two  Kings,  and  slew  Bagsecg 
the  King  with  his  own  hand  and  smote  the  heathen  men 
with  a  great  slaughter  and  chased  them  even  unto 
Reading. 

In  871,  on  ^thelred's  death,  Alfred  became  King  of 
the  West-Saxons  and  Over-lord  of  all  England,  as  his 
father  had  appointed  so  long  before  with  the  consent  of 
his  Wise  Men. 

The  Danes  did  not  come  again  into  Wessex  till  876. 
But  though  the  West-Saxons  had  no  fighting  by  land 
during  these  years,  things  were  not  quite  quiet,  for  in 
875  King  Alfred  had  a  fight  at  sea  against  some  of  the 
Danish  pirates.  This  sea-fight  is  worth  remembering 
as  being,  I  suppose,  the  first  victory  won  by  the  English- 
men at  sea,  where  Englishmen  have  since  won  so  many 
victories.  King  Alfred  then  fought  against  seven  Danish 
ships,  of  which  he  took  one  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 
It  is  somewhat  strange  that  we  do  not  hear  more  than 
we  do  of  warfare  by  sea  in  these  times,  especially  when 
we  remember  how  in  earlier  times  the  Angles  and 
Saxons  had  roved  about  in  their  ships,  very  much  as 
the  Danes  and  other  Northmen  were  doing  now.  It 
would  seem  that  the  English,  after  they  settled  in  Britain, 
almost  left  off  being  a  seafaring  people.  We  find  Alfred 
and  other  Kings  doing  what  they  could  to  keep  up  a  fleet 
and  to  stir  up  a  naval  spirit  among  their  people.  And 
in  some  degree  they  did  so ;  stiU  we  do  not  find  the  English, 
for  a  long  while  after  this  time,  doing  nearly  so  much  by 
sea  as  they  did  by  land.     This  was  a  pity;  for  ships  might 


132  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

then,  as  in  later  times,  have  been  wooden  walls.  It  is 
much  better  to  meet  an  enemy  at  sea,  and  to  keep  him 
from  landing  in  your  country,  than  to  let  him  land,  even 
if  you  can  beat  him  when  he  has  landed. 

But  in  876  the  Danes  came  again  into  Wessex;  and 
we  thus  come  to  the  part  of  Alfred's  life  which  is  at  once 
the  saddest  and  the  brightest.  It  is  the  time  when  his 
luck  was  lowest  and  when  his  spirit  was  highest.  The 
army  under  Guthorm  or  Guthrum,  the  Danish  King 
of  East-Anglia,  came  suddenly  to  Wareham  in  Dorset- 
shire. The  Chronicle  says  that  they  *'bestole" — that  is, 
came  secretly  or  escaped^from  the  West-Saxon  army, 
which  seems  to  have  been  waiting  for  them.  This  time 
Alfred  made  peace  with  the  Danes,  and  they  gave  him 
some  of  their  chief  men  for  hostages,  and  they  swore  to 
go  out  of  the  land.  They  swore  this  on  the  holy  bracelet, 
which  was  the  most  solemn  oath  in  use  among  the  heathen 
Northmen,  and  on  which  they  had  never  before  sworn 
at  any  of  the  times  when  they  had  made  peace  with  the 
English.  But  they  did  not  keep  their  oath  any  better 
for  taking  it  in  this  more  solemn  way.  The  part  of  the 
host  which  had  horses  ''bestole  away."  King  Alfred 
rode  after  the  Danish  horse  as  far  as  Exeter,  but  he  did 
not  overtake  them  till  they  had  got  there,  and  were  safe 
in  the  stronghold.  Then  they  made  peace,  swearing 
oaths,  and  giving  as  many  hostages  as  the  King  asked  for. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  terrible  year  878,  the  greatest 
and  saddest  and  most  glorious  in  all  Alfred's  life.  In  the 
very  beginning  of  the  year,  just  after  Twelfth-night,  the 
Danish  host  again  came  suddenly — "bestole"  as  the 
Chronicle  says — to  Chippenham.  Then  "they  rode 
through  the  West-Saxons'  land,  and  there  sat  down, 
and  mickle  of  the  folk  over  the  sea  they  drove,  and  of 


King  Alfred  133 

the  others  the  most  deal  they  rode  over ;  all  but  the  King 
Alfred ;  he  with  a  little  band  hardly  fared  [went]  after  the 
woods  and  on  the  moor-fastnesses."  This  time  of 
utter  distress  lasted  only  a  very  little  while,  for  in  a  few 
months  Alfred  was  again  at  the  head  of  an  army  and  able 
to  fight  against  the  Danes. 

It  was  during  this  trouble  that  Alfred  stayed  in  the 
hut  of  a  neatherd  or  swineherd  of  his,  who  knew  who 
he  was,  though  his  wife  did  not  know  him.  One  day 
the  woman  set  some  cakes  to  bake,  and  bade  the  King, 
who  was  sitting  by  the  fire  mending  his  bow  and  arrows, 
to  tend  them.  Alfred  thought  more  of  his  bow  and  arrows 
than  he  did  of  the  cakes,  and  let  them  burn.  Then  the 
woman  ran  in  and  cried  out,  "  There,  don't  you  see  the 
cakes  on  fire?  Then  wherefore  turn  them  not?  You 
are  glad  enough  to  eat  them  when  they  are  piping  hot." 

We  are  told  that  this  swineherd  or  neatherd  afterwards 
became  Bishop  of  Winchester.  They  say  that  his  name 
was  Denewulf,  and  that  the  King  saw  that,  though  he 
was  in  so  lowly  a  rank,  he  was  naturally  a  very  wise  man. 
So  he  had  him  taught,  and  at  last  gave  him  the  Bishop- 
rick. 

I  do  not  think  that  I  can  do  better  than  tell  you  the 
next  happening  to  Alfred,  as  it  is  in  the  Chronicle,  only 
changing  those  words  which  you  might  not  understand. 

"  And  that  ilk  [same]  winter  was  Iwer's  and  Healf  dene's 
brother  among  the  West-Saxons  in  Devonshire;  and 
him  there  men  slew  and  eight  hundred  men  with  him 
and  forty  men  of  his  host.  And  there  was  the  banner 
taken  which  they  the  Raven  hight  [call].  And  after 
this  Easter  wrought  King  Alfred  with  his  little  band  a 
work  [fortress]  at  Athelney,  and  out  of  that  work  was  he 
striving  with  the  [Danish]  host,  and  the  army  sold  [gave] 


134  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

him  hostages  and  mickle  oaths,  and  eke  they  promised 
him  that  their  King  should  receive  baptism.  And 
this  they  fulfilled.  And  three  weeks  after  came 
King  Guthrum  with  thirty  of  the  men  that  in  the 
host  were  worthiest,  at  Aller,  that  is  near  Athelney. 
And  him  the  King  received  at  his  baptism,*  and  his 
chrisom-loosingf  was  at  Wedmore.  And  he  was 
twelve  nights  with  the  King,  and  he  honoured  him 
and  his  feres  [companions]  with  mickle  fee  [money]." 

Thus  you  see  how  soon  King  Alfred's  good  luck  came 
back  to  him  again.  The  Raven  was  a  famous  banner 
of  the  Danes,  said  to  have  been  worked  by  the  daughters 
of  Ragnar  Lodbrog.  It  was  thought  to  have  wonderful 
powers,  so  that  they  could  tell  by  the  way  in  which  the 
raven  held  his  wings  whether  they  would  win  or  not  in 
battle. 

You  see  the  time  of  utter  distress  lasted  only  from 
soon  after  Twelfth-night  to  Easter,  and  even  during 
that  time  the  taking  of  the  Raven  must  have  cheered  the 
English  a  good  deal.  After  Easter  things  began  to  mend, 
when  Alfred  built  his  fort  at  Athelney  and  began  to 
skirmish  with  the  Danes,  and  seven  weeks  later  came 
the  great  victory  at  Ethandun,  which  set  Wessex  free. 
Some  say  that  the  white  horse  which  is  cut  in  the 
side  of  the  chalk  hills  near  Edington  was  cut  then,  that 
men  might  remember  the  great  battle  of  Ethandun. 
But  it  has  been  altered  in  modern  times  to  make  it  look 
more  like  a  real  horse. 

All  this  time  Alfred  seems  to  have  kept  his  headquar- 
ters   at    Athelney.     Thence    they    went    to    Wedmore. 

*  That  IS,  was  his  godfather. 

t  That  IS,  he  laid  aside  the  chrisom  or  white  garment  which  a  newly 
baptisid  person  wore. 


King  Alfred  135 

There  the  Wise  Men  came  together,  and  Alfred  and  Gu- 
thorm  (or,  to  give  him  the  name  by  which  he  was  baptised, 
iEthelstan)  made  a  treaty.  This  treaty  was  very  much 
better  kept  than  any  treaty  with  the  Danes  had 
ever  been  kept  before.  The  Danes  got  much  the 
larger  part  of  England;  still  Alfred  contrived  to  keep 
London.  Some  accounts  say  that  only  those  of  the  Danes 
stayed  in  England  who  chose  to  become  Christians,  and 
that  the  rest  went  away  into  Gaul  under  a  famous  leader 
of  theirs  named  Hasting.  Anyhow,  in  880  they  went 
quite  away  into  what  was  now  their  own  land  of  East- 
Anglia,  and  divided  it  among  themselves.  Thus  Alfred 
had  quite  freed  his  own  Kingdom  from  the  Danes,  though 
he  was  obliged  to  leave  so  much  of  the  island  in  their 
hands.  And  even  through  all  these  misfortunes,  the 
Kingdom  of  Wessex  did  in  some  sort  become  greater. 
Remember  that  in  880,  when  Alfred  had  done  so  many 
great  things,  he  was  still  only  thirty-one  years  old. 

We  can  see  how  much  people  always  remembered  and 
thought  of  Alfred,  by  there  being  many  more  stories  told 
of  him  than  of  almost  any  other  of  the  old  Kings.  One 
story  is  that  Alfred,  wishing  to  know  what  the  Danes  were 
about  and  how  strong  they  were,  set  out  one  day  from 
Athelney  in  the  disguise  of  a  minstrel  or  juggler,  and  went 
into  the  Danish  camp,  and  stayed  there  several  days, 
amusing  the  Danes  with  his  playing,  till  he  had  seen  all 
that  he  wanted,  and  then  went  back  without  any  one 
finding  him  out.  This  is  what  you  may  call  a  soldier's 
story,  while  some  of  the  others  are  rather  what  monks  and 
clergymen  would  like  to  tell.  Thus  there  is  a  tale  which 
is  told  in  a  great  many  different  ways,  but  of  which  the 
following  is  the  oldest  shape. 

"Now  King  Alfred  was  driven  from  his  Kingdom  by 


136  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  Danes,  and  he  lay  hid  for  three  years  in  the  isle  of 
Glastonbury.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  a  day  that  all 
his  folk  were  gone  out  to  fish,  save  only  Alfred  himself 
and  his  wife  and  one  servant  whom  he  loved.  And 
there  came  a  pilgrim  to  the  King,  and  begged  for  food. 
And  the  King  said  to  his  servant,  'What  food  have  we 
in  the  house  ? '  And  his  servant  answered,  *  My  Lord, 
we  have  in  the  house  but  one  loaf  and  a  little  wine.' 
Then  the  King  gave  thanks  to  God,  and  said,  *  Give  half 
of  the  loaf  and  half  of  the  wine  to  this  poor  pilgrim. '  So 
the  servant  did  as  his  lord  commanded  him,  and  gave  to 
the  pilgrim  half  of  the  loaf  and  half  of  the  wine,  and  the 
pilgrim  gave  great  thanks  to  the  King.  And  when  the 
servant  returned,  he  found  the  loaf  whole,  and  the  wine 
as  much  as  there  had  been  aforetime.  And  he  greatly 
wondered,  and  he  wondered  also  how  the  pilgrim  had 
come  into  the  isle,  for  that  no  man  could  come  there 
save  by  water,  and  the  pilgrim  had  no  boat.  And  the 
King  greatly  wondered  also.  And  at  the  ninth  hour 
came  back  the  folk  who  had  gone  to  fish.  And  they  had 
three  boats  full  of  fish,  and  they  said,  Xo,  we  have  caught 
more  fish  this  day  than  in  all  the  three  years  that  we  have 
tarried  in  this  island. '  And  the  King  was  glad,  and  he 
and  his  folk  were  merry;  yet  he  pondered  much  upon  that 
which  had  come  to  pass.  And  when  night  came,  the  King 
went  to  his  bed  with  Ealhswyth  his  wife.  And  the  Lady 
slept,  but  the  King  lay  awake  and  thought  of  all  that  had 
come  to  pass  by  day.  And  presently  he  saw  a  great  light, 
like  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  he  saw  an  old  man 
with  black  hair,  clothed  in  priest's  garments,  and  with 
a  mitre  on  his  head,  and  holding  in  his  right  hand  a  book 
of  the  Gospels  adorned  with  gold  and  gems.  And  the 
old  man  blessed  the  King,  and  the  King  said  unto  him, 


King  Alfred  137 

'Who  art  thou?'      And  he  answered,    'Alfred,   my  son, 
rejoice;  for  I  am  he  to  whom  thou  didst  this  day  give 
thine  aims,  and  I  am  called  Cuthberht  the  soldier  of 
Christ.     Now  be  strong  and  very  courageous,  and  be  of 
joyful  heart,  and  hearken  diligently  to  the  things  which 
I  say  unto  thee;  for  henceforth  I  will  be  thy  shield  and 
thy  friend,  and  I  will  watch  o\er  thee  and  over  thy  sons 
after  thee.     And  now  I  will  tell  thee  what  thou  must  do. 
Rise  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  blow  thine  horn  thrice, 
that  thy  enemies  may  hear  it  and  fear,  and  by  the  ninth 
hour  thou   shalt  have  around   thee   hve   hundred  men 
harnassed  for  the  battle.     And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto 
thee  that  thou  mayest  believe.     And  after  seven  days 
thou  shalt  have  by  God's  gift  and  my  help  all  the  folk  of 
this  land  gathered  unto  thee  upon  the  mount  that  is 
called   Assandun.     And   thus   shalt   thou   hght   against 
thine  enemies,  and  doubt  not  that  thou  shalt  overcome 
them.     Be  thou  therefore  glad  of  heart,  and  be  strong 
and  very  courageous,  and  fear  not,  for  God  hath  given 
thine  enemies  into  thine  hand.     And  He  hath  given  thee 
also  all  this  land  and  the  Kingdom  of  thy  fathers,  to  thee 
and  to  thy  sons  and  to  thy  sons'  sons  after  thee.     Be  thou 
faithful  to  me  and  to  my  folk,  because  that  unto  thee  is 
given  all  the  land  of  Albion.     Be  thou  righteous,  because 
thou  art  chosen  to  be  the  King  of  all  Britain.     So  may  God 
be  merciful  unto  thee,  and  I  will  be  thy  friend,  and  none 
of  thine  enemies  shall  ever  be  able  to  overcome  thee. ' 
Then  was  King  Alfred  glad  at  heart,  and  he  was  strong  and 
and  very  courageous,  for  that    he  knew  that  he  would 
overcome  his  enemies   by  the  help  of   God  and   Saint 
Cuthberht  his  patron.     So  in  the  morning  he  arose,  and 
sailed  to  the  land,  and  blew  his  horn  three  times,  and 
when  his  friends  heard  it  they  were  glad,  and  when  his 


138  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

enemies  heard  it  they  feared.  And  by  the  ninth  hour, 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,  there  were  gathered 
unto  him  five  hundred  men  of  the  bravest  and  dearest 
of  his  friends.  And  he  spake  unto  them  and  told  them 
all  that  God  had  said  unto  him  by  the  mouth  of  his  servant 
Cuthberht,  and  he  told  them  that,  by  the  gift  of  God  and 
by  the  help  of  Saint  Cuthberht,  they  would  overcome  their 
enemies  and  win  back  their  own  land.  And  he  bade  them 
as  Saint  Cuthberht  had  taught  him,  to  fear  God  alway 
and  to  be  alway  righteous  toward  all  men.  And  he  bade 
his  son  Edward  who  was  by  him  to  be  faithful  to  God 
and  Saint  Cuthberht,  and  so  he  should  alway  have  the 
victory  over  his  enemies.  So  they  went  forth  to  battle 
and  smote  their  enemies  and  overcame  them,  and  King 
Alfred  took  the  Kingdom  of  all  Britain,  and  he  ruled 
well  and  wisely  over  the  just  and  the  unjust  for  the  rest 
of  his  days." 

Now  is  there  any  truth  in  all  this  story?  I  think 
there  is  thus  much,  that  Alfred,  for  some  reason  or 
other,  thought  he  was  under  the  special  protection  of 
Saint  Cuthberht.  For  several  years  after  880  there  was 
peace  in  the  land,  and  for  a  good  many  more  years  still 
there  was  much  less  fighting  than  there  had  been  be- 
fore. It  was  no  doubt  at  this  time  that  Alfred 
was  able  to  do  all  those  things  for  the  good 
of  his  people  of  which  we  hear  so  much.  He 
had  now  more  time  than  either  before  or  after  for 
making  his  laws,  wTiting  his  books,  founding  his  monas- 
teries, and  doing  all  that  he  did.  You  may  wonder  how 
he  found  time  to  do  so  much ;  but  it  was  by  the  only  way 
by  which  anybody  can  do  anything,  namely,  by  never 
wasting  his  time,  and  by  having  fixed  times  of  the  day 
for  everything.     Alfred  did  not,  like  most  other  writers 


King  Alfred  139 

of  that  time,  write  in  Latin,  so  that  hardly  anybody  but 
the  clergy  could  read  or  understand  what  he  wrote.  He 
loved  our  own  tongue,  and  was  especially  fond  of  the 
Old-English  songs,  and  all  that  he  wrote  he  wrote  in 
English  that  all  his  people  might  understand.  His 
works  were  chiefly  translations  from  Latin  books;  what 
we  should  have  valued  most  of  all,  his  note-book  or  hand- 
book, containing  his  remarks  on  various  matters,  is  lost. 
He  translated  into  English  the  History  of  Baeda,  the 
History  of  Orosius,  some  of  the  works  of  Pope  Gregory 
the  Great,  and  the  Consolation  of  Philosophy  by  Boethius. 
Perhaps  you  will  ask  why  he  did  not  rather  translate 
some  of  the  great  and  famous  Greek  and  Latin  writers 
of  earlier  times.  Now  we  may  be  sure  that  King  Alfred 
did  not  understand  Greek  at  all ;  very  few  people  in  those 
days  in  the  West  of  Europe  knew  any  Greek,  except 
those  who  needed  to  use  the  language  for  dealing  with 
the  men  in  the  Eastern  Empire  who  still  spoke  it.  In- 
deed Alfred  complains  that,  when  he  came  to  the  Crown, 
very  few  people,  even  among  the  clergy,  understood  even 
Latin  at  all  well.  And  as  for  Latin  books,  no  doubt 
Alfred  thought  that  the  writings  of  Christians  would  be 
more  edifying  to  his  people  than  those  of  the  old  heathens. 
He  chose  the  History  of  Orosius,  as  a  general  history  of 
the  world,  and  that  of  Baeda,  as  a  particular  history  of 
England.  Boethius  was  a  Roman  Consul  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixth  century,  who  was  put  to  death  by  the 
great  Theodoric,  King  of  the  East-Goths,  who  then  ruled 
over  Italy.  While  he  was  in  prison  he  wrote  the  book 
which  King  Alfred  translated.  He  seems  not  to  have 
been  a  Christian;  at  least  there  is  not  a  single  Christian 
expression  in  his  book.  But  people  fancied  that  he  was 
not  only  a  Christian,  but  a  saint  and  a  martyr,  most  likely 


I40  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

because  Theodoric,  who  put  him  to  death,  was  not  an 
orthodox  Christian,  but  an  Arian.  Alfred,  in  translating 
his  books,  did  not  always  care  to  translate  them  quite 
exactly,  but  he  often  altered  and  put  in  things  of  his  own, 
if  he  thought  he  could  thus  make  them  more  improving. 
So  in  translating  Boethius,  he  altered  a  good  deal,  to 
make  the  wise  heathen  speak  like  a  Christian.  So  in 
translating  Orosius,  where  Orosius  gives  an  account  of 
the  world,  Alfred  greatly  enlarged  the  account  of  all  the 
northern  part  of  Europe,  of  which  Alfred  naturally  knew 
much  more  than  Orosius  did. 

Alfred  was  also  very  careful  in  the  government  of  his 
Kingdom,  especially  in  seeing  that  justice  was  properly 
administered.  So  men  said  of  him  in  their  songs,  much 
as  they  had  long  before  said  of  King  Edwin  in  Northum- 
berland, that  he  hung  up  golden  bracelets  by  the  road- 
side, and  that  no  man  dared  to  steal  them.  In  his  collec- 
tion of  laws,  he  chiefly  put  in  order  the  laws  of  the  older 
Kings,  not  adding  many  of  his  own,  because  he  said  that 
he  did  not  know  how  those  who  came  after  him  might 
like  them. 

King  Alfred  was  very  attentive  to  religious  matters, 
and  gave  great  alms  to  the  poor  and  gifts  to  churches. 
He  also  founded  two  monasteries;  one  was  for  nuns,  at 
Shaftesbury  in  Dorsetshire,  of  which  he  made  his  own 
daughter,  ^Ethelgifu,  abbess.  The  other  was  for  monks 
at  Athelney;  you  can  easily  see  why  he  should  build  it 
there.  He  also  sent  several  embassies  to  Rome,  where 
he  got  Pope  Marinus  to  grant  certain  privileges  to  the 
English  School  at  Rome;  the  Pope  also  sent  him  what 
was  thought  to  be  a  piece  of  the  wood  of  the  True  Cross, 
that  on  which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  died.  He  also  sent 
an  embassy  to  Jerusalem,  and  had  letters  from  Abel  the 


King  Alfred  141 

Patriarch  there.  And  what  seems  stranger  than  all,  he 
sent  an  embassy  all  the  way  to  India,  with  alms  for  the 
Christians  there,  called  the  Christians  of  Saint  Thomas 
and  Saint  Bartholomew. 

Lastly,  there  seems  some  reason  to  think  that  the 
Chronicle  began  to  be  put  together  in  its  preseflt  shape 
in  Alfred's  time,  and  that  it  was  regularly  gone  on  with 
afterward,  so  that  from  the  time  of  Alfred  onward  we 
have  a  history  which  was  regularly  written  down  as 
things  happened. 

All  these  things  happened  mainly  in  the  middle  years 
of  the  reign  of  Alfred,  when  there  was  so  much  less  fight- 
ing than  there  was  before  and  after,  and  when  some 
years  seem  to  have  been  quite  peaceable.  Guthorm- 
yEthelstan  and  his  Danes  in  East-Anglia  were  for 
some  years  true  to  the  treaty  of  Wedmore,  and  the  other 
Danes  seem  just  now  to  have  been  busy  in  invading  Gaul 
and  other  parts  of  the  continent  rather  than  England. 
Also  King  Alfred  had  now  got  a  fleet,  so  that  he  often  met 
them  at  sea  and  kept  them  from  landing.  This  he  did 
in  882,  and  we  do  not  find  that  any  Danes  landed  again 
in  England  till  885.  In  that  year  part  of  the  army  which 
had  been  plundering  along  the  coast  of  Flanders  and 
Holland  came  over  to  England,  landed  in  Kent,  and 
besieged  Rochester.  But  the  citizens  withstood  them 
bravely,  and  Alfred  gathered  an  army  and  drove  the 
Danes  to  their  ships.  They  seem  then  to  have  gone  to 
Essex  and  to  have  plundered  there  with  their  ships, 
getting  help  from  the  Danes  who  were  settled  in 
East-Anglia,  or  at  least  from  such  of  them  as  still  were 
heathens.  Alfred's  fleet  however  quite  overcame  them 
and  took  away  their  treasure,  but  his  fleet  was  again 
attacked  and  defeated  by  the  East- Anglian  Danes.     It 


142  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Kfiow 

would  seem  that  in  some  part  of  this  war  Guthorm- 
^thelstan  was  helped  by  Hrolf,  otherwise  called  Rollo, 
the  great  Northern  chief. 

The  Danish  wars  began  again  in  893.  For  years 
now  there  was  a  great  deal  of  fighting.  Two  large 
bodies  of  Danes,  one  of  them  under  the  famous  chief 
Hasting,  landed  in  Kent  in  893  and  fixed  themselves  in 
fortresses  which  they  built.  And  the  Danes  who  had 
settled  in  Northumberland  and  East-Anglia  helped  them, 
though  they  had  all  sworn  oaths  to  King  Alfred,  and 
those  in  East-Anglia  had  also  given  hostages.  There 
was  fighting  all  over  the  south  of  England  throughout 
894,  and  the  King  had  to  go  constantly  backward  and 
forward  to  keep  up  with  the  Danes.  One  time  Alfred 
took  a  fort  in  Kent,  in  which  were  the  wife  and  two  sons 
of  Hasting.  Now  Hasting  had  not  long  before  given 
oaths  and  hostages  to  Alfred,  and  the  two  boys  had  been 
baptised,  the  King  being  godfather  to  one  of  them  and 
Alderman  ^thelred  to  the  other.  But  Hasting  did  not 
at  all  keep  to  his  oath,  but  went  on  plundering  all  the 
same.  Still,  when  the  boys  and  their  mother  were  taken, 
Alfred  would  not  do  them  any  harm,  but  gave  them  up 
again  to  Hasting. 

In  897  we  read  that  Alfred  made  some  improvements 
in  his  ships.  "They  were  full-nigh  twice  as  long  as  the 
others ;  some  had  sixty  oars,  some  more ;  they  were  both 
swifter  and  steadier  and  eke  higher  than  the  others;  they 
were  neither  on  the  Frisian  shape  nor  on  the  Danish,  but 
as  himself  thought  that  they  useful  might  be."  These 
new  ships  seem  to  have  done  good  service,  though  one 
time  they  got  aground,  seemingly  because  they  were  so 
large,  and  the  Danes  were  therefore  able  to  sail  out  before 
them.     These    sea-fights    along    the    south  coast    were 


King  Alfred  143 

nearly  the  last  things  that  we  hear  of  in  Alfred's  reign. 
The  crews  of  two  Danish  ships  were  brought  to  Win- 
chester to  Alfred  and  there  hanged.  One  cannot  blame 
him  for  this,  as  these  Danes  were  mere  pirates,  not  en- 
gaged in  any  lawful  war,  and  many  of  them  had  been 
spared,  and  had  made  oaths  to  Alfred,  and  had  broken 
them,  over  and  over  again. 

This  was  in  897;  the  rest  of  King  Alfred's  reign  seems 
to  have  been  spent  in  peace.  In  901  the  great  King  died 
himself.  He  was  then  only  fifty-two  years  old.  Alfred's 
wife,  the  Lady  Ealhswyth,  lived  a  little  while  after  her 
husband,  till  903  or  905.  King  Alfred  was  buried  at 
Winchester  in  the  New  Minster  which  he  himself  began 
to  found  and  which  was  finished  by  his  son  Edward.  It 
then  stood  close  to  the  Old  Minster,  that  is,  the  cathedral 
church.  Afterward  it  was  moved  out  of  the  city  and 
was  called  Hyde  Abbey.  But  you  cannot  see  King 
Alfred's  grave  there  now,  because  everything  has  been 
destroyed,  and  the  bones  of  the  great  King  have  been 
turned  out,  to  make  room  for  a  prison. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    CID 

AFTERWARDS  the  Castillians  arrived,  and  they 
kissed  his  hands  in  homage,  all,  save  only  my 
Cid.  And  when  King  Don  Alfonso  saw  that  the  Cid 
did  not  do  homage  and  kiss  his  hand,  as  all  the  other 
chief  persons  had  done,  he  said,  "Since  now  ye  have  all 
received  me  for  your  Lord,  and  given  me  authority 
over  ye,  I  would  know  of  the  Cid  Ruydiez  w^hy  he  will 
not  kiss  my  hand  and  acknowledge  me;  for  I  would  do 
something  for  him,  as  I  promised  unto  my  father  King 
Don  Ferrando,  when  he  commended  him  to  me  and  to 
my  brethren.  And  the  Cid  arose  and  said,  "Sir,  all  whom 
you  see  here  present,  suspect  that  by  your  counsel  the 
King  Don  Sancho  your  brother  came  to  his  death ;  and 
therefore  I  say  unto  you  that,  unless  you  clear  yourself 
of  this,  as  by  right  you  should  do,  I  will  never  kiss  your 
hand,  nor  receive  you  for  my  lord."  Then  said  the  King, 
"Cid,  what  you  say  pleases  mewxll;  and  here  I  swear  to 
God  and  to  St.  Mary,  that  I  never  slew  him,  nor  took 
counsel  for  his  death.  And  I  beseech  ye  therefore  all, 
as  friends  and  true  vassals,  that  ye  tell  me  how  I  may 
clear  myself."  And  the  chiefs  who  were  present  said, 
that  he  and  twelve  of  the  knights  who  came  with  him 
from  Toledo,  should  make  this  oath  in  the  church  at  St. 
Gadea  at  Burgos,  and  that  so  he  should  be  cleared. 

So  the  King  and  all  his  company  took  horse  and  went 
to  Burgos.     And  when  the  day  appointed  for  the  oath 

144 


The  Cid 


145 


was  come,  the  King  came  forward  upon  a  high  stage  that 
all  the  people  might  see  him,  and  my  Cid  came  to  him  to 
receive  the  oath;  and  my  Cid  took  the  book  of  the  Gospels 
and  opened  it,  and  laid  it  upon  the  altar,  and  the  King 
laid  his  hands  upon  it,  and  the  Cid  said  unto  him,  ''King 
Don  Alfonso,  you  come  here  to  swear  concerning  the 
death  of  King  Don  Sancho  your  brother,  that  you  neither 
slew  him  nor  took  counsel  for  his  death;  say  now  you 
and  these  hidalgos,  if  ye  swear  this."  And  the  King  and 
the  hidalgos  answered  and  said,  "Yea,  we  swear  it." 
And  the  Cid  said,  "If  ye  knew  of  this  thing,  or  gave  com- 
mand that  it  should  be  done,  may  you  die  even  such  a 
death  as  your  brother  the  King  Don  Sancho,  by  the 
hand  of  a  villain  whom  you  trust ;  one  who  is  not  a 
hiakilgo,  from  another  land,  not  a  Castillian";  and  the 
King  and  the  knights  who  were  with  him  said  "Amen." 
And  the  King's  colour  changed;  and  the  Cid  repeated 
the  oath  unto  him  a  second  time,  and  the  King  and 
the  twelve  knights  said  "Amen"  to  it  in  like  manner,  and 
in  like  manner  the  countenance  of  the  King  was  changed 
again.  And  my  Cid  repeated  the  oath  unto  him  a 
third  time,  and  the  King  and  the  knights  said  "Amen." 
But  the  wrath  of  the  Kin^  was  exceedingly  great,  and 
he  said  to  the  Cid,  "Ruydiez,  why  dost  thou  thus  press 
me,  man?  To-day  thou  swearest  me,  and  to-morrow 
thou  wilt  kiss  my  hand."  And  from  that  day  forward 
there  was  no  love  toward  my  Cid  in  the  heart  of  the 
King. 

After  this  King  Don  Alfonso  assembled  together  all 
his  power  and  went  against  the  Moors.  And  the  Cid 
should  have  gone  with  him,  but  he  fell  sick  and  perforce 
therefore  abode  at  home.  And  while  the  King  was 
going  through  Andalusia,  having  the  land  at  his  mercy, 


146  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

a  great  power  of  the  Moors  assembled  together  on  the 
other  side,  and  entered  the  land,  and  did  much  evil.  At 
this  time  the  Cid  was  gathering  strength;  and  when  he 
heard  that  the  Moors  were  in  the  country,  laying  waste 
before  them,  he  gathered  together  what  force  he  could, 
and  went  after  them;  and  the  Moors,  when  they  heard 
this,  began  to  fly.  And  the  Cid  followed  them  as  far  as 
Toledo,  slaying  and  burning,  and  plundering  and  destroy- 
ing, and  laying  hands  on  all  whom  he  found,  so  that  he 
brought  back  seven  thousand  prisoners,  men  and  women; 
and  he  and  all  his  people  returned  rich  and  with  great 
honour.  But  when  the  King  of  Toledo  heard  of  the 
hurt  which  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  Cid,  he 
sent  to  King  Don  Alfonso  to  complain  thereof.  And 
the  King  was  greatly  troubled.  And  he  went  with  all 
speed  to  Burgos,  and  sent  from  thence  to  bid  the  Cid 
come  unto  him. 

Now  my  Cid  knew  the  evil  disposition  of  the  King 
toward  him,  and  when  he  received  his  bidding  he  made 
answer  that  he  would  meet  him  between  Burgos  and 
Bivar.  And  the  King  went  out  from  Burgos  and  came 
nigh  unto  Bivar;  and  the  Cid  came  up  to  him  and  would 
have  kissed  his  hand,  but  the  King  withheld  it,  and  said 
angrily  unto  him,  ''  Ruydiez,  quit  my  land."  Then  the 
Cid  clapt  spurs  to  the  mule  upon  which  he  rode,  and 
vaulted  into  a  piece  of  ground  which  was  his  own  in- 
heritance, and  answered,  "Sir,  I  am  not  in  your  land, 
but  in  my  own."  And  the  King  replied  full  wrathfully, 
**  Go  out  of  my  kingdoms  without  any  delay."  And  the 
Cid  made  answer,  "  Give  me  then  thirty  days'  time,  as  is 
the  right  of  the  hidalgos";  and  the  King  said  he  would 
not,  but  that  if  he  were  not  gone  in  nine  days'  time  he 
would  come  and  look  for  him.     The  counts  were  well 


The  Cid  147 

pleased  at  this;  but  all  the  people  of  the  land  were  sor- 
rowful. And  then  the  King  and  the  Cid  parted.  And 
the  Cid  sent  for  all  his  friends  and  his  kinsmen  and  vas- 
sals, and  told  them  how  King  Don  Alfonso  had  banished 
him  from  the  land,  and  asked  of  them  who  would  follow 
him  into  banishment,  and  who  would  remain  at  home. 
Then  Alvar  Fanez,  who  was  his  cousin-german,  came 
forward  and  said,  "Cid,  we  will  all  go  with  you,  through 
desert  and  through  peopled  country,  and  never  fail  you. 
In  your  service  will  we  spend  our  mules  and  horses,  our 
wealth  and  our  garments,  and  ever  while  we  live  be  unto 
you  loyal  friends  and  vassals."  And  they  all  confirmed 
what  Alvar  Fanez  had  said;  and  the  Cid  thanked  them 
for  their  love,  and  said  that  there  might  come  a  time  in 
which  he  should  guerdon  them. 

And  as  he  was  about  to  depart  he  looked  back  upon 
his  own  home,  and  when  he  saw  his  hall  deserted,  the 
household  chests  unfastened,  the  doors  open,  no  cloaks 
hanging  up,  no  seats  in  the  porch,  no  hawks  upon  the 
perches,  the  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  he  said,  "My 
enemies  have  done  this.  God  be  praised  for  all  things." 
And  he  turned  toward  the  East  and  knelt  and  said,  "Holy 
Mary  Mother,  and  all  Saints,  pray  to  God  for  me,  that  He 
may  give  me  strength  to  destroy  all  the  Pagans,  and  to 
win  enough  from  them  to  requite  my  friends  therewith, 
and  all  those  who  follow  and  help  me."  Then  he  called 
for  Alvar  Fanez  and  said  unto  him,  "Cousin,  the  poor 
have  no  part  in  the  wrong  which  the  King  hath  done  us; 
see  now  that  no  wrong  be  done  unto  them  along  our 
road,"  and  he  called  for  his  horse. 

My  Cid  Ruydiez  entered  Burgos,  having  sixty  stream- 
ers in  his  company.  And  men  and  women  went  forth  to 
see  him,  and  the  men  of  Burgos  and  the  women  of  Burgos 


148  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

were  at  their  windows,  weeping,  so  great  was  their  sor- 
row; and  they  said  with  one  accord,  ''God,  how  good  a 
vassal  if  he  had  but  a  good  Lord!"  and  willingly  would 
each  have  bade  him  come  in,  but  no  one  dared  so  to  do. 
For  King  Don  Alfonso  in  his  anger  had  sent  letters  to 
Burgos,  saying  that  no  man  should  give  the  Cid  a  lodg' 
ing;  and  that  whosoever  disobeyed  should  lose  all  that 
he  had,  and  moreover  the  eyes  in  his  head.  Great  sor- 
row had  these  Christian  folk  at  this,  and  they  hid  them- 
selves when  he  came  near  them  because  they  did  not 
dare  speak  to  him;  and  my  Cid  went  to  his  Posada,  and 
when  he  came  to  the  door  he  found  it  fastened,  for  fear 
of  the  King.  And  his  people  called  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  but  they  within  made  no  answer.  And  the  Cid 
rode  up  to  the  door,  and  took  his  foot  out  of  the  stirrup, 
and  gave  it  a  kick,  but  the  door  did  not  open  with  it,  for 
it  was  well  secured.  A  little  girl  of  nine  years  old  then 
came  out  of  one  of  the  houses  and  said  unto  him, ''  O  Cid, 
the  King  hath  forbidden  us  to  receive  you.  We  dare  not 
open  our  doors  to  you,  for  we  should  lose  our  houses 
and  all  that  we  have,  and  the  eyes  in  our  head.  Cid, 
our  evil  would  not  help  you,  but  God  and  all  His  saints 
be  with  you."  And  when  she  had  said  this  she  returned 
into  the  house.  And  when  the  Cid  knew  what  the  King 
had  done  he  turned  away  from  the  door  and  rode  up 
to  St.  Mary's,  and  there  he  alighted  and  knelt  down, 
and  prayed  with  all  his  heart;  and  then  he  mounted 
again  and  rode  out  of  the  town  and  pitched  his  tent 
near  Arlanzon,  upon  the  sands.  My  Cid  Ruydiez,  he 
who  in  a  happy  hour  first  girt  on  his  sword,  took  up 
his  lodging  upon  the  sands,  because  there  was  none 
who  would  receive  him  within  their  door.  He  had  a 
good  company  round  about  him,  and  there  he  lodged. 


The  Cid  149 

Moreover  the  King  had  given  orders  that  no  food 
should  be  sold  them  in  Burgos,  so  that  they  could  not 
buy  even  a  pennyworth.  But  Martin  Antolinez,  who 
was  a  good  Burgalese,  he  supplied  my  Cid  and  all  his 
company  with  bread  and  wine  abundantly.  "Cam- 
peador,"  said  he  to  the  Cid,  "to-night  we  will  rest  here, 
and  to-morrow  we  will  be  gone:  I  shall  be  accused  for 
what  I  have  done  in  serving  you,  and  shall  be  in  the 
King's  displeasure;  but  following  your  fortunes,  sooner 
or  later,  the  King  will  have  me  for  his  friend,  and  if  not, 
I  do  not  care  a  fig  for  what  I  leave  behind."  Now  this 
Martin  Antolinez  was  nephew  unto  the  Cid,  being  the 
son  of  his  brother,  Ferrando  Diaz.  And  the  Cid  said  unto 
him,  "Martin  Antolinez,  you  are  a  bold  lancier;  if  I  live 
I  will  double  you  your  pay.  You  see  I  have  nothing 
with  me,  and  yet  must  provide  for  my  companions.  I 
will  take  two  chests  and  fill  them  with  sand,  and  do  you 
go  in  secret  to  Rachel  and  Vidas,  and  tell  them  to  come 
hither  privately ;  for  I  cannot  take  my  treasures  with  me 
because  of  their  weight,  and  will  pledge  them  in  their 
hands.  Let  them  come  for  the  chests  at  night,  that  no 
man  may  see  them.  God  knows  that  I  do  this  thing  more 
of  necessity  than  of  wilfulness;  b\it  by  God's  good  help 
I  shall  redeem  all."  Now  Rachel  and  Vidas  were  rich 
Jews,  from  whom  the  Cid  used  to  receive  money  for  his 
spoils.  And  Martin  Antolinez  went  in  quest  of  them, 
and  he  passed  through  Burgos  and  entered  into  the  Castle ; 
and  when  he  saw  them  he  said,  "Ah  Rachel  and  Vidas, 
my  dear  friends!  now  let  me  speak  with  ye  in  secret." 
And  they  three  went  apart.  And  he  said  to  them,  "  Give 
me  your  hands  that  you  will  not  discover  me,  neither  to 
Moor  nor  Christian!  I  will  make  you  rich  men  for  ever. 
The  Campeador  went  for  the  tribute  and  he  took  great 


150  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

wealth,  and  some  of  it  he  has  kept  for  himself.  He  has 
two  chests  full  of  gold ;  ye  know  that  the  King  is  in  anger 
against  him,  and  he  cannot  carry  these  away  with  him 
without  their  being  seen.  He  will  leave  them  therefore 
in  your  hands,  and  you  shall  lend  him  money  upon  them, 
swearing  with  great  oaths  and  upon  your  faith,  that  ye 
will  not  open  them  till  a  year  be  past.''  Rachel  and 
Vidas  took  counsel  together  and  answered,  "We  well 
knew  he  got  something  when  he  entered  the  land  of  the 
Moors;  he  who  has  treasures  does  not  sleep  without 
suspicion;  we  will  take  the  chests,  and  place  them  where 
they  shall  not  be  seen.  But  tell  us  with  what  will  the 
Cid  be  contented,  and  what  gain  will  he  give  us  for  the 
year?"  Martin  Antolinez  answered  hke  a  prudent  man, 
"My  Cid  requires  what  is  reasonable;  he  will  ask  but 
little  to  leave  his  treasures  in  safety.  Men  come  to  him 
from  all  parts.  He  must  have  six  hundred  marks." 
And  the  Jews  said,  "We  will  advance  him  so  much." 
"Well  then,"  said  Martin  Antolinez,  "ye  see  that  the 
night  is  advancing;  the  Cid  is  in  haste,  give  us  the  marks." 
"  This  is  not  the  way  of  business,"  said  they;  "we  must 
take  first,  and  then  give."  "Ye  say  well,"  replied  the 
Burgalese:  "come  then  to  the  Campeador,  and  we  will 
help  you  to  bring  away  the  chests,  so  that  neither  Moors 
nor  Christians  may  see  us."  So  they  went  to  horse  and 
rode  out  together,  and  they  did  not  cross  the  bridge,  but 
rode  through  the  water  that  no  man  might  see  them,  and 
they  came  to  the  tent  of  the  Cid. 

Meantime  the  Cid  had  taken  two  chests,  which  were 
covered  with  leather  of  red  and  gold,  and  the  nails  which 
fastened  down  the  leather  were  well  gilt;  they  were 
ribbed  with  bands  of  iron,  and  each  fastened  with  three 
locks;   they  were  heavy,  and  he  filled  them  with  sand. 


The  Cid  151 

And  when  Rachel  and  Vidas  entered  his  tent  with  Martin 
Antolinez,  they  kissed  his  hand;  and  the  Cid  smiled  and 
said  to  them,  "Ye  see  that  I  am  going  out  of  the  land,  be- 
cause of  the  King's  displeasure;  but  I  shall  leave  some- 
thing with  ye."  And  they  made  answer,  "Martin  Anto- 
linez has  covenanted  with  us,  that  we  shall  give  you  six 
hundred  marks  upon  these  chests,  and  keep  them  a  full 
year,  swearing  not  to  open  them  till  that  time  be  expired, 
else  shall  we  be  perjured."  "Take  the  chests,"  said  Martin 
Antolinez ;  "  I  will  go  with  you,  and  bring  back  the  marks, 
for  my  Cid  must  move  before  cock-crow."  So  they  took 
the  chests,  and  though  they  were  both  strong  men  they 
could  not  raise  them  from  the  ground;  and  they  were  full 
glad  of  the  bargain  which  they  had  made.  And  Rachel 
then  went  to  the  Cid  and  kissed  his  hand  and  said,  "Now, 
Campeador,  you  are  going  from  Castille  among  strange 
nations,  and  your  gain  will  be  great,  even  as  your  fortune 
is.  I  kiss  your  hand,  Cid,  and  have  a  gift  for  you,  a 
red  skin;  it  is  Moorish  and  honourable."  And  the  Cid 
said,  "It  pleases  me:  give  it  me  if  ye  have  brought  it;  if 
not,  reckon  it  upon  the  chests."  And  they  departed 
with  the  chests,  and  Martin  Antolinez  and  his  people 
helped  them,  and  went  with  them.  And  when  they 
had  placed  the  chests  in  safety,  they  spread  a  carpet  in 
the  middle  of  the  hall,  and  laid  a  sheet  upon  it,  and  they 
threw  down  upon  it  three  hundred  marks  of  silver.  Don 
Martin  counted  them,  and  took  them  without  weighing. 
The  other  three  hundred  they  paid  in  gold. 

When  Martin  Antolinez  came  into  the  Cid's  tent  he 
said  unto  him,  "I  have  sped  well,  Campeador !  you  have 
gained  six  hundred  marks.  Now  then  strike  your  tent  and 
be  gone.  The  time  draws  on,  and  you  may  be  with  your 
Lady  Wife  at  St.  Pedro  de  Cardena,  before  the  cock  crows." 


152  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  cocks  were  crowing  amain,  and  the  day  began  to 
break,  when  the  good  Campeador  reached  St.  Pedro's. 
The  Abbot  Don  Sisebuto  was  saying  matins,  and  Dona 
Ximena  and  five  of  her  ladies  of  good  lineage  were  with 
him,  praying  to  God  and  St.  Peter  to  help  my  Cid.     And 
when  he  called  at  the  gate  and  they  knew  his  voice,  God, 
what  a  joyful  man  was  the  Abbot  Don  Sisebuto!     Out 
into  the  courtyard  they  went  with  torches  and  with  tapers, 
and  the  Abbot  gave  thanks  to  God  that  he  now  beheld 
the  face  of  my  Cid.     And  the  Cid  told  him  all  that  had 
befallen  him,  and  how  he  was  a  banished  man;   and  he 
gave  him  fifty  marks  for  himself,  and  a  hundred  for  Dona 
Ximena  and  her  children.      ''Abbot,"  said  he,  "I  leave 
two  little  girls  behind  me,  whom  I  commend  to  your  care. 
Take  you  care  of  them  and  of  my  wife  and  of  her  ladies : 
when  this  money  be  gone,  if  it  be  not  enough,  supply 
them  abundantly;  for  every  mark  which  you  spend  upon 
them  I  will  give  the  monastery  four."     And  the  Abbot 
promised  to  do  this  with  a  right  good  will.     Then  Dona 
Ximena  came  up  weeping  bitterly,  and  she  said  to  her 
husband,  ''  Lo  now  you  are  banished  from  the  land  by 
mischief-making  men,  and  here  am  I  with  your  daughters, 
who  are  little  ones  and  of  tender  years,  and  we  and  you 
must  be  parted,  even  in  your  life-time.     For  the  love  of 
St.  Mary  tell  me  now  what  we  shall  do."      And  the  Cid 
took  the  children  in  his  arms,  and  held  them  to  his 
heart  and  wept,  for  he  dearly  loved  them.     ''Please  God 
and  St.  Mary,"   said  he,   "I  shall  yet  live  to  give  these 
my  daughters  in  marriage  with  my  own  hands,  and  to  do 
you  service  yet,  my  honoured  wife,  whom  I  have  ever 
loved,  even  as  my  own  soul." 

Now  hath  my  Cid  left  the  kingdom  of  King  Don 
Alfonso,  and  entered  the  country  of  the  Moors.     And  at 


The  Cid 


153 


day-break  they  were  near  the  brow  of  the  Sierra,  and  they 
halted  there  upon  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  gave 
barley  to  their  horses,  and  remained  there  until  evening. 
And  they  set  forward  when  the  evening  had  closed,  that 
none  might  see  them,  and  continued  their  way  all  night, 
and  before  dawn  they  came  near  to  Castrejon,  which  is 
upon  the  Henares.  And  Alvar  Fanez  said  unto  the  Cid, 
that  he  would  take  with  him  two  hundred  horsemen,  and 
scour  the  country  and  lay  hands  on  whatever  he  could 
find,  without  fear  either  of  King  Alfonso  or  of  the  Moors. 
And  he  couselled  him  to  remain  in  ambush  where  he  was, 
and  surprise  the  castle  of  Castrejon :  and  it  seemed  good 
unto  my  Cid.  Away  went  Alvar  Fanez,  and  the  two 
hundred  horsemen;  and  the  Cid  remained  in  ambush 
with  the  rest  of  his  company.  And  as  soon  as  it  was 
morning,  the  Moors  of  Castrejon,  knowing  nothing  of 
these  who  were  so  near  them,  opened  the  castle  gates, 
and  went  out  to  their  work  as  they  were  wont  to  do.  And 
the  Cid  rose  from  ambush  and  fell  upon  them,  and  took 
all  their  flocks,  and  made  straight  for  the  gates,  pursuing 
them.  And  there  was  a  cry  within  the  castle  that  the 
Christians  were  upon  them,  and  they  who  were  within 
ran  to  the  gates  to  defend  them,  but  my  Cid  came  up 
sword  in  hand;  eleven  Moors  did  he  slay  with  his  own 
hand,  and  they  forsook  the  gate  and  fled  before  him  to 
hide  themselves  within,  so  that  he  won  the  castle  presently, 
and  took  gold  and  silver,  and  whatever  else  he  would. 
Alvar  Fanez  meantime  scoured  the  country  along  the 
Henares  as  far  as  Alcala,  and  he  returned  driving  flocks 
and  herds  before  him,  with  great  stores  of  wearing  ap- 
parel, and  of  other  plunder.  And  when  the  Cid  knew 
that  he  was  nigh  at  hand  he  went  out  to  meet  him,  and 
praised  him  greatly  for  what  he  had  done,  and  gave 


154  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

thanks  to  God.  And  he  gave  order  that  all  the  spoils 
should  be  heaped  together,  both  what  Alvar  Fanez  had 
brought,  and  what  had  been  taken  in  the  castle;  and 
he  said  to  him,  ''Brother,  of  all  this  which  God  hath 
given  us,  take  you  the  fifth,  for  you  well  deserve  it";  but 
Minaya  would  not,  saying,  "You  have  need  of  it  for  our 
support."  And  the  Cid  divided  the  spoil  among  the 
knights  and  foot-soldiers,  to  each  his  due  portion;  to 
every  horseman  a  hundred  marks  of  silver,  and  half  as 
much  to  the  foot-soldiers:  and  because  he  could  find 
none  to  whom  to  sell  his  fifth,  he  spake  to  the  Moors 
telling  them  that  they  might  come  safely  to  purchase  the 
spoil,  and  the  prisoners  also  whom  he  had  taken,  both 
men  prisoners  and  women.  And  they  came,  and  valued 
the  spoil  and  the  prisoners,  and  gave  for  them  three  thou- 
sand marks  of  silver,  which  they  paid  within  three  days: 
they  bought  also  much  of  the  spoil  which  had  been 
divided,  making  great  gain,  so  that  all  who  were  in  my 
Cid's  company  were  full  rich.  And  the  heart  of  my  Cid 
was  joyous,  and  he  sent  to  King  Don  Alfonso,  telling  him 
that  he  and  his  companions  would  yet  do  him  serv-ice 
upon  the  Moors. 

Then  my  Cid  assembled  together  his  good  men  and 
said  unto  them,  ''Friends,  we  cannot  take  up  our  abode 
in  this  castle,  for  there  is  no  water  in  it,  and  moreover  the 
King  is  at  peace  with  these  Moors,  and  I  know  that  the 
treaty  between  them  hath  been  written;  so  that  if  we 
should  abide  here  he  would  come  against  us  with  all  his 
power,  and  with  all  the  power  of  the  Moors,  and  we  could 
not  stand  against  him.  If  therefore  it  seem  good  unto 
you,  let  us  leave  the  rest  of  our  piisoners  here,  that  we 
may  be  free  from  all  encumbrance,  like  men  who  are  to 
live  by  war."    And  it  pleased  them  well  that  it  should 


The  Cid  155 

be  so.  And  he  said  to  them,  ''Ye  have  all  had  your 
shares,  neither  is  there  anything  owing  to  any  one  among 
ye.  Now  then  let  us  be  ready  to  take  horse  betimes  on 
the  morrow,  for  I  would  not  fight  against  my  Lord  the 
King."  So  on  the  morrow  they  went  to  horse  and  de- 
parted, being  rich  with  the  spoils  which  they  had  won: 
and  they  left  the  castle  to  the  Moors,  who  remained  bless- 
ing them  for  this  bounty  which  they  had  received  at  their 
hands.  Then  my  Cid  and  his  company  went  up  the 
Henares  as  fast  as  they  could  go;  great  were  the  spoils 
which  they  collected  as  they  went  along.  And  on  the 
morrow  they  came  against  Alcocer.  There  my  Cid 
pitched  his  tents  upon  a  round  hill,  which  was  a  great 
hill  and  a  strong;  and  the  river  Salon  ran  near  them, 
so  that  the  water  could  not  be  cut  off.  My  Cid  thought 
to  take  Alcocer:  so  he  pitched  his  tents  securely,  having 
the  Sierra  on  one  side,  and  the  river  on  the  other,  and  he 
made  all  his  people  dig  a  trench,  that  they  might  not  be 
alarmed,  neither  by  day  nor  by  night. 

When  my  Cid  had  thus  encamped,  he  went  to  look  at 
the  Alcazar,  and  see  if  he  could  by  any  means  enter  it. 
And  the  Moors  offered  tribute  to  him,  if  he  would  leave 
them  in  peace;  but  this  he  would  not  do,  and  he  lay 
before  the  town.  And  news  went  through  all  the  land 
that  the  Cid  was  come  among  them.  And  my  Cid  lay 
before  Alcocer  fifteen  weeks;  and  when  he  saw  that  the 
town  did  not  surrender,  he  ordered  his  people  to  break 
up  their  camp,  as  if  they  were  flying,  and  they  took  their 
way  along  the  Salon,  with  their  banners  spread.  And 
when  the  Moors  saw  this  they  rejoiced  greatly,  and  they 
praised  themselves  for  what  they  had  done  in  withstand- 
ing him,  and  said  that  the  Cid's  bread  and  barley  had 
failed  him,  and  he  had  fled  away,  and  left  one  of   his 


156  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

tents  behind  him.  And  they  said  among  themselves, 
"Let  us  pursue  them  and  spoil  them."  And  they  went 
out  after  him,  great  and  little,  leaving  the  gates  open  and 
shouting  as  they  went ;  and  there  was  not  left  in  the  town 
a  man  who  could  bear  arms.  And  when  my  Cid  saw 
them  coming  he  gave  orders  to  quicken  their  speed,  as 
if  he  was  in  fear,  and  would  not  let  his  people  turn  till 
the  Moors  were  far  from  the  town.  But  when  he  saw 
that  there  was  a  good  distance  between  them  and  the 
gates,  he  bade  his  banner  turn,  and  spurred  toward  them 
crying,  'Xay  on,  knights,  by  God's  mercy  the  spoil  is 
our  own."  God!  what  a  good  joy  was  theirs  that  morn- 
ing! My  Cid's  vassals  laid  on  without  mercy;  in  one 
hour,  and  in  a  little  space,  three  hundred  Moors  were 
slain,  and  my  Cid  won  the  place,  and  planted  his  banner 
upon  the  highest  point  of  the  castle.  And  the  Cid  said, 
"Blessed  be  God  and  all  His  saints,  we  have  bettered 
our  quarters  both  for  horses  and  men."  And  he  said  to 
Alvar  Fafiez  and  all  his  knights,  "Hear  me,  we  shall  get 
nothing  by  killing  these  Moors — let  us  take  them  and 
they  shall  show  us  their  treasures  which  they  have  hidden 
in  their  houses,  and  we  will  dwell  here  and  they  shall 
serve  us."  In  this  manner  did  my  Cid  win  Alcocer,  and 
take  up  his  abode  therein. 

In  three  weeks  time  after  this  returned  Alvar  Fanez 
from  Castille.  And  my  Cid  rode  up  to  him,  and  em- 
braced him  without  speaking,  and  kissed  his  mouth  and 
the  eyes  in  his  head.  God,  how  joyful  was  that  whole 
host  because  Alvar  Fanez  was  returned!  for  he  brought 
them  greetings  from  their  kinswomen  and  their  brethren 
and  the  fair  comrades  whom  they  had  left  behind.  God, 
how  joyful  was  my  Cid  with  the  fleecy  beard,  that  Minaya 
had  purchased  the  thousand  masses,  and  had  brought 


The  Cid  157 

him  the  biddings  of  his  wife  and  daughters!     God,  what 
a  joyful  man  was  he! 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  the  days  of  King  Almudafar 
were  fulfilled:  and  he  left  his  two  sons  Zulema  and 
Abenalfange,  and  Zulema  had  the  kingdom  of  Zaragoza, 
and  Abenalfange  the  kingdom  of  Denia.  And  Zulema 
put  his  kingdom  under  my  Cid's  protection,  and  bade  all 
his  people  obey  him  even  as  they  would  himself.  Now 
there  began  to  be  great  enmity  between  the  two  brethren, 
and  they  made  war  upon  each  other.  And  the  Count 
Don  Ramon  Berenguer  of  Barcelona  helped  Abenal- 
fange, and  was  enemy  to  the  Cid  because  he  defended 
Zulema.  And  my  Cid  chose  out  two  hundred  horsemen 
and  went  out  by  night,  and  fell  upon  the  lands  of  Alcaniz 
and  brought  away  great  booty.  Great  was  the  talk 
among  the  Moors;  how  my  Cid  was  over-running  the 
country. 

When  Don  Ramon  Berenguer  the  Count  of  Barcelona 
heard  this,  it  troubled  him  to  the  heart,  and  he  held  it 
for  a  great  dishonour,  because  that  part  of  the  land  of  the 
Moors  was  in  his  keeping.  And  he  spake  boastfully  say- 
ing, "Great  wrong  doth  that  Cid  of  Bivar  offer  unto  me; 
he  ravages  the  lands  which  are  in  my  keeping,  and  I  have 
never  renounced  his  friendship;  but  since  he  goes  on  in 
this  way  I  must  take  vengeance."  So  he  and  King 
Abenalfange  gathered  together  a  great  power  both  of 
Moors  and  Christians,  and  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Cid, 
and  after  three  days  and  two  nights  they  came  up  with 
him  in  the  pine-forest  of  Tebar.  And  when  the  Cid 
heard  this  he  sent  to  Don  Ramon  saying,  that  the  booty 
which  he  had  won  was  none  of  his,  and  bidding  him  let 
him  go  on  his  way  in  peace :  but  the  Count  made  answer, 
that    my    Cid    should    now    learn    whom  he    had  dis- 


158  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

honoured.  Then  my  Cid  sent  the  booty  forward,  and 
bade  his  knights  make  ready.  ^'They  are  coming  upon 
us,"  said  he,  ''with  a  great  power  both  of  Moors  and 
Christians,  to  take  from  us  the  spoils  which  we  have  so 
hardly  won,  and  without  doing  battle  we  cannot  be  quit 
of  them;  for  if  we  should  proceed  they  would  follow 
till  they  overtook  us :  therefore  let  the  battle  be  here,  and 
I  trust  in  God  that  we  shall  win  more  honour,  and  some- 
thing to  boot.  They  come  down  the  hill,  drest  in  their 
hose,  with  their  gay  saddles,  and  their  girths  wet.  Be- 
fore they  get  upon  the  plain -ground  let  us  give  them  the 
points  of  our  lances;  and  Ramon  Berenguer  will  then 
see  whom  he  has  overtaken  to-day  in  the  pine-forest  of 
Tebar,  thinking  to  despoil  him  of  booty  won  from  the 
enemies  of  God  and  of  the  faith." 

While  my  Cid  was  speaking,  his  knights  had  taken 
their  arms,  and  were  ready  on  horseback  for  the  charge. 
Presently  they  saw  the  Frenchmen  coming  down  the  hill, 
and  when  they  had  not  yet  set  foot  upon  the  plain  ground, 
my  Cid  bade  his  people  charge,  which  they  did  with  a 
right  good  will,  thrusting  their  spears  so  stiffly,  that  by 
God's  good  pleasure  not  a  man  whom  they  encountered  but 
lost  his  seat.  The  Count's  people  stood  firm  round  their 
Lord ;  but  my  Cid  was  in  search  of  him,  and  when  he  saw 
where  he  was,  he  made  up  to  him,  clearing  the  way  as  he 
went,  and  gave  him  such  a  stroke  with  his  lance  that  he 
felled  him.  When  the  Frenchmen  saw  their  Lord  in  this 
plight  they  fled  away  and  left  him;  and  the  pursuit  lasted 
three  leagues,  and  would  have  been  continued  farther  if 
the  conquerors  had  not  had  tired  horses.  Thus  was 
Count  Ramon  Berenguer  made  prisoner,  and  my  Cid 
won  from  him  that  day  the  good  sword  Colada,  which 
was  worth  more  than  a  thousand  marks  of  silver.     That 


The  Cid  159 

night  did  my  Cid  and  his  men  make  merry,  rejoicing 
over  their  gains.  And  the  Count  was  taken  to  my  Cid's 
tent,  and  a  good  supper  was  set  before  him;  nevertheless 
he  would  not  eat,  though  my  Cid  besought  him  so  to  do. 
And  on  the  morrow  my  Cid  ordered  a  feast  to  be  made, 
that  he  might  do  pleasure  to  the  Count,  but  the  Count 
said  that  for  all  Spain  he  would  not  eat  one  mouthful, 
but  would  rather  die,  since  he  had  been  beaten  in  battle 
by  such  a  set  of  ragged  fellows.  And  Ruydiez  said  to 
him,  '*Eat  and  drink.  Count,  for  this  is  the  chance  of  war ; 
if  you  do  as  I  say  you  shall  be  free;  and  if  not  you  will 
never  return  again  into  your  own  lands."  And  Don 
Ramond  answered,  "Eat  you,  Don  Rodrigo,  for  your 
fortune  is  fair  and  you  deserve  it ;  take  you  your  pleasure, 
but  leave  me  to  die."  And  in  this  mood  he  continued 
for  three  days,  refusing  all  food.  But  then  my  Cid  said 
to  him,  "Take  food.  Count,  and  be  sure  that  I  will  set 
you  free,  you  and  any  two  of  your  knights,  and  give  you 
wherewith  to  return  into  your  own  country."  And  when 
Don  Ramond  heard  this,  he  took  comfort  and  said,  "If 
you  will  indeed  do  this  thing  I  shall  marvel  at  you  as 
long  as  I  live."  "Eat  then,"  said  Ruydiez,  "and  I  will 
do  it:  but  mark  you,  of  the  spoil  which  we  have  taken 
from  you  I  will  give  you  nothing;  for  to  that  you  have 
no  claim  neither  by  right  nor  custom,  and  besides  we 
want  it  for  ourselves,  being  banished  men,  who  must 
live  by  taking  from  you  and  from  others  as  long  as  it 
shall  please  God."  Then  was  the  Count  full  joyful, 
being  well  pleased  that  what  should  be  given  him  was  not 
of  the  spoils  which  he  had  lost;  and  he  called  for  water 
and  washed  his  hands,  and  chose  two  of  his  kinsmen  to  be 
set  free  with  him.  And  my  Cid  sate  at  the  table  with 
them,  and  said,  "If  you  do  not  eat  well.  Count,  you  and 


i6o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

I  shall  not  part  yet."  Never  since  he  was  Count  did  he 
eat  with  better  will  than  that  day  I  And  when  they  had 
done  he  said,  ''Now,  Cid,  if  it  be  your  pleasure  let  us 
depart."  And  my  Cid  clothed  him  and  his  kinsmen 
well  with  goodly  skins  and  mantles,  and  gave  them  each 
a  goodly  palfrey,  with  rich  caparisons,  and  he  rode  out 
with  them  on  their  way.  And  when  he  took  leave  of  the 
Count  he  said  to  him,  ''Now  go  freely,  and  I  thank  you 
for  what  you  have  left  behind;  if  you  wish  to  play  for  it 
again  let  me  know,  and  you  shall  either  have  something 
back  in  its  stead,  or  leave  what  you  bring  to  be  added  to 
it."  The  Count  answered,  "Cid,  you  jest  safely  now, 
for  I  have  paid  you  and  all  your  company  for  this 
twelve-months,  and  shall  not  be  coming  to  see  you  again 
so  soon." 

Then  Count  Ramond  pricked  on  more  than  apace, 
and  many  times  looked  behind  him,  fearing  that  my  Cid 
would  repent  what  he  had  done,  and  send  to  take  him 
back  to  prison,  which  the  perfect  one  would  not  have  done 
for  the  whole  world,  for  never  did  he  do  disloyal  thing. 

At  last  after  long  and  pitiful  fighting  it  was  bruited 
abroad  throughout  all  lands,  how  the  Cid  Ruydiez  had 
won  the  noble  city  of  Valencia. 

And  now  the  Cid  bethought  him  of  Dona  Ximena  his 
wife,  and  of  his  daughters  Dona  Elvira  and  Dona  Sol, 
whom  he  had  left  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Pedro  de  Car- 
deiia  and  he  called  for  Alvar  Fanez  and  Martin  Antolinez 
of  Burgos,  and  spake  with  them,  and  besought  them 
that  they  would  go  to  Castille,  to  King  Don  Alfonso  and 
take  him  a  present  from  the  riches  which  God  had  given 
them ;  and  the  present  should  be  a  hundred  horses,  saddled 
and  bridled;  and  that  they  would  kiss  the  King's  hand 
for  him,  and  beseech  him  to  send  to  him  his  wife  Dona 


The  Cid  i6i 

Ximena,  and  his  daughters;  and  that  they  would  tell  the 
King  all  the  mercy  which  God  had  shown  him,  and  how 
he  was  at  his  service  with  Valencia  and  with  all  that  he 
had.  Moreover  he  bade  them  take  a  thousand  marks  of 
silver  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Pedro  de  Cardefia,  and 
give  them  to  the  Abbot,  and  thirty  marks  of  gold  for  his 
wife  and  daughters,  that  they  might  prepare  themselves 
and  come  in  honourable  guise.  And  he  ordered  three 
hundred  marks  of  gold  to  be  given  them,  and  three  hun- 
dred marks  of  silver,  to  redeem  the  chests  full  of  sand 
which  he  had  pledged  in  Burgos  to  the  Jews;  and  he 
bade  them  ask  Rachel  and  Vidas  to  forgive  him  the  deceit 
of  the  sand,  for  he  had  done  it  because  of  his  great  need. 
Then  Alvar  Fafiez  and  Martin  Antolinez  dispeeded 
themselves  of  the  King,  and  took  their  way  toward 
Burgos.  When  they  reached  Burgos  they  sent  for  Rachel 
and  for  Vidas,  and  demanded  from  them  the  chests,  and 
paid  unto  them  the  three  hundred  marks  of  gold  and  the 
three  hundred  of  silver  as  the  Cid  had  commanded,  and 
they  besought  them  to  forgive  the  Cid  the  deceit  of  the 
chests,  for  it  was  done  because  of  his  great  necessity. 
And  they  said  they  heartily  forgave  him,  and  held  them- 
selves well  paid;  and  they  prayed  God  to  grant  him  long 
life  and  good  health,  and  to  give  him  power  to  advance 
Christendom,  and  put  down  Pagandom.  And  when 
it  was  known  through  the  city  of  Burgos  the  goodness 
and  the  gentleness  which  the  Cid  had  shown  to  these 
merchants  in  redeeming  from  them  the  chests  full  of 
sand  and  earth  and  stones,  the  people  held  it  for  a 
great  w^onder,  and  there  was  not  a  place  in  all  Burgos 
where  they  did  not  talk  of  the  gentleness  and  loyalty  of 
the  Cid;  and  they  besought  blessings  upon  him,  and 
prayed  that  he  and  his  people  might  be  advanced  in 


1 62  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

honour.  When  they  had  done  this,  they  went  to  the 
monastery  of  St.  Pedro  de  Cardena,  and  the  porter  of  the 
King  went  with  them,  and  gave  order  everywhere  that 
everything  which  they  wanted  should  be  given  them.  If 
they  were  well  received,  and  if  there  was  great  joy  in  St. 
Pedro  de  Cardena  over  them,  it  is  not  a  thing  to  ask,  for 
Dofia  Ximena  and  her  daughters  were  like  people  beside 
themselves  with  the  great  joy  which  they  had,  and 
they  came  running  out  on  foot  to  meet  them,  weeping 
plenteously. 

After  a  long  life-time  of  adventure  the  Cid  sickened 
of  a  malady.  And  the  day  before  his  weakness  waxed 
great,  he  ordered  the  gates  of  Valencia  to  be  shut,  and 
went  to  the  Church  of  St.  Peter;  and  there  the  Bishop 
Don  Hieronymo  being  present,  and  all  the  clergy  who 
were  in  Valencia,  and  the  knights  and  honourable  men 
and  honourable  dames,  as  many  as  the  church  could 
hold,  the  Cid  Ruydiez  stood  up,  and  made  a  full  noble 
preaching,  showing  that  no  man,  however  honourable  or 
fortunate  he  may  be  in  this  world,  can  escape  death,  to 
which,  said  he,  "I  am  now  full  near;  and  since  ye  know 
that  this  body  of  mine  hath  never  yet  been  conquered, 
nor  put  to  shame,  I  beseech  ye  let  not  this  befall  it  at  the 
end,  for  the  good  fortune  of  man  is  only  accomplished 
at  his  end."  Then  he  took  leave  of  the  people,  weeping 
plenteously,  and  returned  to  the  Alcazar,  and  betook  him- 
self to  his  bed,  and  never  rose  from  it  again;  and  every 
day  he  waxed  weaker  and  weaker.  He  called  for  the 
caskets  of  gold  in  which  was  the  balsam  and  the  myrrh 
which  the  Soldan  of  Persia  had  sent  him;  and  when  these 
were  put  before  him  he  bade  them  bring  him  the  golden 
cup,  of  which  he  was  wont  to  drink ;  and  he  took  of  that 
balsam  and  of  that  myrrh  as  much  as  a  little  spoonful, 


The  Cid  163 

and  mingled  it  in  the  cup  with  rose-water,  and  drank  of 
it;  and  for  the  seven  days  which  he  Kved  he  neither  ate 
nor  drank  aught  else  than  a  little  of  that  myrrh  and  bal- 
sam mingled  with  water.  And  every  day  after  he  did  this, 
his  body  and  his  countenance  appeared  fairer  and  fresher 
than  before,  and  his  voice  clearer,  though  he  waxed 
weaker  and  weaker  daily,  so  that  he  could  not  move  in 
his  bed. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  day,  being  the  day  before  he  de- 
parted, he  called  for  Dofia  Ximena,  and  for  the  Bishop 
Don  Hieronymo,  and  Don  Alvar  Faiiez  Minaya,  and  Pero 
Bermudez,  and  his  trusty  Gil  Diaz;  and  when  they  were 
all  five  before  him,  he  began  to  direct  them  what  they 
should  do  after  his  death;  and  he  said  to  them,  "Ye  know 
that  King  Bucar  will  presently  be  here  to  besiege  this 
city,  with  seven  and  thirty  Kings  whom  he  bringeth  with 
him,  and  with  a  mighty  power  of  Moors.  Now  therefore 
the  first  thing  which  ye  do  after  I  have  departed,  wash 
my  body  with  rose-water  many  times  and  well,  and  when 
it  has  been  well  washed  and  made  clean,  ye  shall  dry  it 
well,  and  anoint  it  with  this  myrrh  and  balsam,  from 
these  golden  caskets,  from  head  to  foot,  so  that  every 
part  shall  be  anointed.  And  you,  my  Dona  Ximena,  and 
your  women,  see  that  ye  utter  no  cries,  neither  make  any 
lamentation  for  me,  that  the  Moors  may  not  know  of 
my  death.  And  when  the  day  shall  come  in  which  King 
Bucar  arrives,  order  all  the  people  of  Valencia  to  go 
upon  the  walls,  and  sound  your  trumpets  and  tambours 
and  make  the  greatest  rejoicings  that  ye  can.  For  certes 
ye  cannot  keep  the  city,  neither  abide  therein  after  they 
know  of  my  death.  And  see  that  sumpter  beasts  be 
laden  with  all  that  there  is  in  Valencia,  so  that  nothing 
which  can  profit  may  be  left.     And  this  I  leave  espe- 


164  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

cially  to  your  charge,  Gil  Diaz.  Then  saddle  ye  my 
horse  Bavieca,  aiKi  arm  him  well;  and  apparel  my  body 
full  seemlily,  and  place  me  upon  the  horse,  and  fasten 
and  tie  me  thereon  so  that  it  cannot  fall:  and  fasten  my 
sword  Tizona  in  my  hand.  And  let  the  Bishop  Don 
Hieronymo  go  on  one  side  of  me,  and  my  trusty  Gil  Diaz 
on  the  other,  and  he  shall  lead  my  horse.  You,  Pero 
Bermudez,  shall  bear  my  banner,  as  you  were  wont  to 
bear  it;  and  you,  Alvar  Fanez,  my  cousin,  gather  your 
company  together,  and  put  the  host  in  order  as  you  are 
wont  to  do.  And  go  ye  forth  and  fight  with  King  Bucar: 
for  be  ye  certain  and  doubt  not  that  ye  shall  win  this 
battle;  God  hath  granted  me  this.  And  when  ye  have 
won  the  fight,  and  the  Moors  are  discomfited,  ye  may 
spoil  the  field  at  pleasure.     Ye  will  find  great  riches." 

And  this  noble  Baron  yielded  up  his  soul,  which  was 
pure  and  without  spot,  to  God,  on  that  Sunday  which  is 
called  Quinquagesima,  being  the  twenty  and  ninth  of 
May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  and  ninety 
and  nine,  and  in  the  seventy  and  third  year  of  his  life.. 
After  he  had  thus  made  his  end  they  washed  his  body  and 
embalmed  it  as  he  had  commanded.  And  then  all  the 
honourable  men,  and  all  the  clergy  who  were  in  Valencia, 
assembled  and  carried  it  to  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  of 
the  Virtues,  which  is  near  the  Alcazar,  and  there  kept 
their  vigil,  and  said  prayer  and  performed  masses,  as 
was  meet  for  so  honourable  a  man. 

Three  days  after  the  Cid  had  departed  King  Bucar  came 
into  the  port  of  Valencia,  and  landed  with  all  his  power. 
And  there  came  with  him  thirty  and  six  Kings,  and  one 
Moorish  Queen,  and  she  brought  with  her  tw^o  hundred 
horsewomen,  all  negresses  like  herself,  all  having  their 
hair  shorn  save  a  tuft  on  the  top,  and  they  were  all  armed 


The  Cid  165 

in  coats  of  mail  and  with  Turkish  bows.  King  Bucar 
ordered  his  tents  to  be  pitched  round  about  Valencia. 
And  his  people  thought  that  the  Cid  dared  not  come 
out  against  them,  and  they  were  the  more  encouraged, 
and  began  to  think  of  making  engines  wherewith  to- 
combat  the  city. 

All  this  while  the  company  of  the  Cid  were  preparing 
all  things  to  go  into  Castille,  as  he  had  commanded  before 
his  death;  and  his  trusty  Gil  Diaz  did  nothing  else  but 
labour  at  this.     And  the  body  of  the  Cid  was  prepared 
and  the  virtue  of  the  balsam  and  myrrh  was  such  that 
the  flesh  remained  firm  and  fair,  having  its  natural  colour 
and  his  countenance  as  it  was  wont  to  be,  and  the  eyes 
open,  and  his  long  beard  in  order,  so  that  there  was  not 
a  man  who  would  have  thought  him  dead  if  he  had  seen, 
him.     And  on  the  second  day  after  he  had  departed,. 
Gil  Diaz  placed  the  body  upon  a  right  noble  saddle. 
And  he  took  two  boards  and  fitted  them  to  the  body,  one 
to  the  breast  and  the  other  to  the  shoulders;  these  were 
so  hollowed  out  and  fitted  that  they  met  at  the  sides 
and  under  the  arms,  and  these  boards  were  fastened  into 
the  saddle,  so  that  the  body  could  not  move.     All  this 
was  done  by  the  morning  of  the  twelfth  day;  and  all  that 
day  the  people  of  the  Cid  WTre  busied  in  making  ready 
their  arms,  and  in  loading  beasts  with  all  that  they  had. 
When  it  was  midnight  they  took  the  body  of  the    Cid 
fastened  to  the  saddle  as  it  was,  and  placed  it  upon  his 
horse  Bavieca,  and  fastened  the  saddle  well:  and  the 
body  sate  so  upright  and  well  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  was 
alive.     And  it  had  on  painted  hose  of  black  and  white, 
so  cunningly  painted  that  no  man  who  saw  them  would 
have  thought  but  that  they  were  grieves,  unless  he  had  laid 
his  hand  upon  them;  and  they  put  on  it  a  surcoat  of  green 


1 66  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sendal,  having  his  arms  blazoned  thereon,  and  a  helmet 
of  parchment,  which  was  cunningly  painted  that  every 
one  might  have  believed  it  to  be  iron;  and  his  shield  was 
hung  around  his  neck,  and  they  placed  the  sword  Tizona 
in  his  hand,  and  they  raised  his  arm,  and  fastened  it 
up  so  subtly  that  it  was  a  marvel  to  see  how  upright  he 
held  the  sword.  And  the  Bishop  Don  Hieronymo  went 
on  one  side  of  him,  and  the  trusty  Gil  Diaz  on  the 
other,  and  he  led  the  horse  Bavieca,  as  the  Cid  had  com- 
manded him.  And  when  all  this  had  been  made  ready, 
they  went  out  from  Valencia  at  midnight,  through  the 
gate  of  Roseros,  which  is  towards  Castille.  Pero  Ber- 
mudez  went  first  with  the  banner  of  the  Cid,  and  with  him 
five  hundred  knights  who  guarded  it,  all  well  appointed. 
Then  came  the  body  of  the  Cid  with  an  hundred  knights, 
all  chosen  men,  and  behind  them  Dona  Ximena  with  all 
her  company,  and  six  hundred  knights  in  the  rear.  All 
these  went  out  so  silently,  and  with  such  a  measured 
pace,  that  it  seemed  as  if  there  were  only  a  score.  And  by 
the  time  that  they  had  all  gone  out  it  was  broad  day. 

Now,  while  the  Bishop  Don  Hieronymo  and  Gil  Diaz 
led  away  the  body  of  the  Cid,  and  Dona  Ximena,  and 
the  baggage,  Alvar  Fanez  Minaya  fell  upon  the  Moors. 
First  he  attacked  the  tents  of  that  Moorish  Queen  the 
Negress,  who  lay  nearest  to  the  city;  and  this  onset  was 
so  sudden,  that  they  killed  full  a  hundred  and  fifty  Moors 
before  they  had  time  to  take  arms  or  go  to  horse.  But 
that  Moorish  Negress,  so  skilful  in  drawing  the  Turkish 
bow,  that  they  called  her  the  Star  of  the  Archers,  was  the 
first  that  got  on  horseback,  and  with  some  fifty  that  were 
with  her,  did  some  hurt  to  the  company  of  the  Cid;  but 
in  fine  they  slew  her,  and  her  people  fled  to  the  camp. 
And  so   great   was  the  uproar  and  confusion,  that  few 


The  Cid  167 

there  were  who  took  arms,  but  instead  thereof  they  turned 
their  backs  and  fled  toward  the  sea.  And  when  King 
Bucar  and  his  Kings  saw  this  they  were  astonished. 
And  it  seemed  10  tnem  that  there  came  against  them 
on  the  part  of  the  Christians  full  seventy  thousand 
knights,  all  as  white  as  snow:  and  before  them  a  knight 
of  great  stature  upon  a  white  horse.  And  King  Bucar 
and  the  other  Kings  were  so  greatly  dismayed  that  they 
never  checked  the  reins  till  they  had  ridden  into  the 
sea;  and  the  company  of  the  Cid  rode  after  them, 
smiting  and  slaying  and  giving  them  no  respite. 
And  when  the  Moors  came  to  the  sea,  so  great  was  the 
press  among  them  to  get  to  the  ships,  that  more  than  ten 
thousand  died  in  the  water.  And  King  Bucar  and  they 
who  escaped  with  him  hoisted  sails  and  went  their  way, 
and  never  more  turned  their  heads. 

Then  Alvar  Fafiez  and  his  people  went  after  the 
Bishop  Don  Hieronymo  and  Gil  Diaz,  who,  with  the 
body  of  the  Cid,  and  Dona  Ximena,  and  the  baggage, 
had  gone  on  till  they  were  clear  of  the  host,  and  then 
waited  for  those  who  were  gone  against  the  Moors.  And 
so  great  was  the  spoil,  gold,  and  silver,  and  other  precious 
things  that  the  poorest  man  among  the  Christians,  horse- 
man or  on  foot,  became  rich  with  what  he  won  that  day. 
And  when  they  were  all  met  together,  they  took  the  road 
toward  Castille;  and  they  halted  that  night  in  a  village 
which  is  called  Siete  Aguas,  that  is  to  say,  the  Seven 
Waters,  which  is  nine  leagues  from  Valencia. 

When  the  company  of  the  Cid  departed  from  the  Siete 
Aguas,  they  held  their  way  by  short  journeys.  And  the 
Cid  went  alway  upon  his  horse  Bavieca,  as  they  had 
brought  him  out  from  Valencia,  save  only  that  he  wore 
30  arms,  but  was  clad  in  right  noble  garments.     Great 


1 68  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

was  the  concourse  of  people  to  see  the  Cid  Ruydiez 
coming  in  that  guise.  They  came  from  all  the  country 
round  about,  and  when  they  saw  him  their  wonder  was 
the  greater,  and  hardly  could  they  be  persuaded  that  he 
was  dead. 

At  this  time  King  Don  Alfonso  abode  in  Toledo,  and  when 
the  letters  came  unto  him  saying  how  the  Cid  Campeador 
was  departed,  and  after  what  manner  he  had  discomfited 
King  Bucar,  and  how  they  brought  him  in  this  goodly 
manner  upon  his  horse  Bavieca,  he  set  out  from  Toledo, 
taking  long  journeys  till  he  came  to  San  Pedro  de  Cardena 
to  do  honour  to  the  Cid  at  his  funeral.  And  when  the 
King  Don  Alfonso  saw  so  great  a  company  and  in  such 
goodly  array,  and  the  Cid  Ruydiez  so  nobly  clad  and 
upon  his  horse  Bavieca,  he  was  greatly  astonished.  And 
the  King  beheld  his  countenance,  and  seeing  it  so  fresh 
and  comely,  and  his  eyes  so  bright  and  fair,  and  so  even 
and  open  that  he  seemed  alive,  he  marvelled  greatly. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  coming  of  King  Don  Al- 
fonso, they  would  have  interred  the  body  of  the  Cid,  but 
Y/hen  the  King  heard  what  Dona  Ximena  had  said,  that 
while  it  was  so  fair  and  comely  it  should  not  be  laid  in 
a  cofhn,  he  held  that  what  she  said  was  good.  And  he 
sent  for  the  ivory  chair  which  had  been  carried  to  the 
Cortes  of  Toledo,  and  gave  order  that  it  should  be  placed 
on  the  right  of  the  altar  of  St.  Peter;  and  he  laid  a  cloth 
of  gold  upon  it,  and  he  ordered  a  graven  tabernacle  to 
be  made  over  the  chair,  richly  wrought  with  azure  and 
gold.  And  he  himself,  and  the  King  of  Navarre  and  the 
Infante  of  Aragon,  and  the  Bishop  Don  Hieronymo,  to  do 
honour  to  the  Cid,  helped  to  take  his  body  from  between 
the  two  boards,  in  which  it  had  been  fastened  at  Valencia. 
And  when  they  had  taken  it  out,  the  body  was  so  firm 


The  Cid  169 

that  it  bent  not  on  either  side,  and  the  flesh  so  firm  and 
comely,  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  yet  ahve.  And  the 
King  thought  that  what  they  purported  to  do  and  had 
thus  begun,  might  full  well  be  effected.  And  they  clad 
the  body  in  cloth  of  purple,  which  the  Soldan  of  Persia 
had  sent  him,  and  put  him  on  hose  of  the  same,  and  set 
him  in  his  ivory  chair;  and  in  his  left  hand  they  placed 
his  sword  Tizona  in  its  scabbard,  and  the  strings  of  his 
mantle  in  his  right.  And  in  this  fashion  the  body  of  the 
Cid  remained  there  ten  years  and  more,  till  it  was  taken 
thence  and  buried. 

Gil  Diaz  took  great  delight  in  tending  the  horse  Bavieca, 
so  that  there  were  few  days  in  which  he  did  not  lead  him 
to  water,  and  bring  him  back  with  his  own  hand.  And 
from  the  day  in  which  the  dead  body  of  the  Cid  was  taken 
off  his  back,  never  man  was  suffered  to  bestride  that 
horse,  but  he  was  alway  led  when  they  took  him  to  water, 
and  when  they  brought  him  back.  And  this  good  horse 
lived  two  years  and  a  half  after  the  death  of  his  master 
the  Cid,  and  then  he  died  also,  having  lived  full  forty 
years.  And  Gil  Diaz  buried  him  before  the  gate  of  the 
monastery,  in  the  public  place,  on  the  right  hand;  and 
he  planted  two  elms  upon  the  grave,  the  one  at  his  head 
and  the  other  at  his  feet,  and  these  elms  grew  and  became 
great  trees,  and  are  yet  to  be  seen  before  the  gate  of  the 
monastery. 


CHAPTER  XII 


ROBIN   HOOD 


BECAUSE  of  the  hardness  towards  the  English 
people  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  of  William's 
successors  to  several  generations,  many  an  Englishman 
exUed  himself  from  town  andtoassejhjs  lifp  j^,  thegrcen- 
wood.  _These  men  were  called  '^ou^la^S-i!  First  they 
went  forth  out  of  love  for  the  ancient  liberties  of  England. 
Then  in  their  living  in  the  forest,  they  put  themselves 
wittoit=thfiia^2iy  their  ^a^  of  gaining  their  livelihood. 
Of  such  men  none  were  more  renowned  than  Robin 
Hood  and  his  company.  ^ 

We  do  not  know  anything  about  Robin  Hood,  who  he 
was,  or  where  he  lived,  or  what  evil  deed  he  had  done. 
Any  man  might  kill  him  and  never  pay  penalty  for  it. 
But,  outlaw  or  not,  the  poor  people  loved  him  [and  looked 
on  him  as  their  frienclTand  many  a  stout  fellow  came 
to  join  him,  and  led  a  merry  life  in  the  greenwood,  with^ 
mQ§s  ajid--feQ^  f or  ^gd^and  for\meat  the  King's  deer\w 
which  it  was  death  to  slay.    Tillers  of  the  land,  yeomen, 
and  some   say  knights,  went  on  their  ways  freely,  for  of^ 
them  Robin  took  no  toll;  but  lordly  churchmen  witlr*^ 
jn^Il£^:;ibags_well    filled,    or   proud^  bisIiopswTlh   their 
richlydressed  folio  wers ,  trembled  aslKey  drew  near  to 
Sherwood  Forest^who  was  to  know  whether  behind 
ever}'  tree  there  did  not  lurk  Robin  Hood  or  one  of  his 
men? 

One  day  Robin  was  walking  alone  in  the  wood,  and 
170 


.     Robin  Hood  171 

reached  a  river  spanned  by  a  very  narrow  bridge,  over 
which  one  man  only  could  pass.  In  the  midst  stood  a 
stranger,  and  Robin  bade  him  go  back  and  let  him  go  over. 
"1  am  no  man  of  yours,"  was  all  the  answer  Robin  got, 
and  in  anger  he  drew  his  bow  and  fitted  an  arrow  to  it. 
''Would  you  shoot  a  man  who  has  no  arms  but  a  staff?" 
asked  the  stranger  in  scorn;  and  with  shame  Robin  laid 
down  his  bow,  and  unbuckled  an  oaken  stick  at  his  side. 
''We  will  fight  till  one  of  us  falls  into  the  water, "  he  said; 
and  fight  they  did,  till  the  stranger  planted  a  blow  so  well 
that  Robin  rolled  over  into  the  river.  "You  are  a  braye^ 
soul,"  said  he,  when  he  had  waded  to  land,  and  he  blew 
a  blast  with  his  horn  which  brought  fifty  goodfellows, 
clad  in  green,  to  the  little  bridge.  "Have  you  fallen  into 
the  river  that  your  clothes  are  wet  ?  "  asked  one ;  and  Robin 
made  answer,  "No,  but  this  stranger,  fighting  on  the 
bridge,  got  the  better  of  me,  and  tumbled  me  into  the 
stream. " 

At  this  the  foresters  seized  the  stranger,  and  would 
have  ducked  him  had  not  their  leader  bade  them  stop, 
and  begged  the  stranger  to  stay  with  them  and  make 
one  of  themselves.  "Here  is  my  hand,"  replied  the  stran- 
ger, "and  my  heart  with  it.  My  name,  if  you  would  know 
it,  is  John  Little. " 

"That  must  be  altered,"  cried  Will  Scarlett;  "we  will 
call  a  feast,  and  henceforth,  because  he  is  full  seven  feet 
tall  and  round  the  waist  at  least  an  ell,  he  shall  be  called 
Little  John." 

And  thus  it  was  done;  but  at  the  feast  Little  John,  who 
always  liked  to  know  exactly  what  w^ork  he  had  to  do,  put 
some  questions  to  Robin  Hood.  "Before  I  join  hands 
with  you,  tell  me  first  what  sort  of  life  is  this  you  lead? 
How  am  I  to  know  whose  goods  I  shall  take,  and  whose 


172  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

I  shall  leave?  Whom  I  shall  beat,  and  whom  I  shall 
refrain  from  beating?" 

And  Robin  answered:  ''Look  that  you  harm  not 
any  tiller  of  the  ground,  nor  any  yeoman  of  the  greenwood 
— no  knight,  no  squire,  unless  you  have  heard  him  ill 
spoken  of.  But  if  bishops  or  archbishops  come  your 
way,  see  that  you  spoil  them,  and  mark  that  you 
always  hold  in  your  mind  the  High  Sheriff  of  Notting- 
ham." 

This  being  settled,  Robin  Hood  declared  Little  John 
to  be  second  in  command  to  himself  among  the  brother- 
hood of  the  forest,  and  the  new  outlaw  never  forgot  to 
''hold  in  his  mind"  the  High  Sheriff  of  Nottingham, 
who  was  the  bitterest  enemy  the  foresters  had. 


THE  BALLAD  OF  ROBIN  HOOD,  THE  BUTCHER  AND  THE 
SHERIFF. 

Upon  a  time  it  chanced  so, 

Bold  Robin  in  forest  did  spy 
A  jolly  butcher,  with  a  bonny  fine  mare, 

With  his  flesh  to  the  market  did  hie. 

"Good  morrow,  good  fellow,"  said  jolly  Robin, 
"What  food  hast  thou?     tell  unto  me; 

Thy  trade  to  me  tell,  and  where  thou  dost  dwell, 
For  I  like  well  thy  company." 

The  butcher  he  answer'd  jolly  Robin, 

"No  matter  where  I  dwell; 
For  a  butcher  I  am,  and  to  Nottingham 

I  am  going,  my  flesh  to  sell. " 


Robin  Hood  173 

"What's  the  price  of  thy  flesh?"  said  jolly  Robin, 

''Come,  tell  it  soon  unto  me;     - 
And  the  price  of  thy  mare,  be  she  never  so  dear, 

For  a  butcher  fain  would  I  be. " 

''The  price  of  my  flesh,"  the  butcher  replied, 

"I  soon  will  tell  unto  thee; 
With  my  bonny  mare,  and  they  are  not    dear. 

Four  marks  thou  must  give  unto  me. " 

"Four  marks  I  will  give  thee,"  said  jolly  Robin 

"Four  marks  shall  be  thy  fee; 
The  money  come  count,  and  let  me  mount, 

For  a  butcher  I  fain  would  be. " 

Now  Robin  he  is  to  Nottingham  gone, 

His  butcher's  trade  to  begin; 
With  good  intent  to  the  Sheriff  he  went, 

And  there  he  took  up  his  inn. 

When  other  butchers  did  open  their  meat, 

Bold  Robin  got  gold  and  fee. 
For  he  sold  more  meat  for  one  penny (^ 

Than  others  did  sell  for  three.    ^ 

Which  made  the  butchers  of  Nottingham 

To  study  as  they  did  stand. 
Saying,  "Surely  he  is  some  prodigal 

That  has  sold  his  father's  land. " 

"This  is  a  mad  blade,"  the  butchers  still  said; 

Said  the  Sheriff,  "He  is  some  prodigal, 
That  some  land  has  sold  for  silver  and  gold, 

And  now  he  doth  mean  to  spend  all. 


174  Heroes  Every  Child  Shoiild  Know 

"Hast  thou  any  horn-beasts, "  the  Sherifif  asked, 

''Good  fellow,  to  sell  to  me?" 
"Yes,  that  I  have,  good  Master  Sheriff, 

I  have  hundreds,  two  or  three. 

"And  a  hundred  acres  of  good  free  land, 

If  you  please  it  to  see : 
And  I'll  make  you  as  good  assurance  of  it. 

As  ever  my  father  made  me. " 

The  Sheriff  he  saddled  his  good  palfrey, 
And  with  three  hundred  pounds  of  gold. 

Away  he  went  with  bold  Robin  Hood, 
His  horned  beasts  to  behold. 

Away    then  the  Sheriff  and  Robin  did  ride. 

To  the  forest  of  merry  Sherwood; 
Then  the  Sheriff  did  say,  "God  keep  us  this  day 

From  a  man  they  call  Robin  Hood." 

But  when  a  little  farther  they  came. 

Bold  Robin  he  chanced  to  spy 
A  hundred  head  of  good  red  deer. 

Come  tripping  the  Sheriff  full  nigh. 

"How  like  you  my  horn-beasts,  good  Master  Sheriff? 

They  be  fat  and  fair  to  see"; 
"I  tell  thee,  good  fellow,  I  would  I  were  gone, 

For  I  like  not  thy  company. " 

Then  Robin  set  his  horn  to  his  mouth. 

And  blew  but  blasts  three; 
Then  quickly  anon  there  came  Little  John, 

And  all  his  company. 


Robin  Hood  175 

"What  is  your  will?"  then  said  Little  John, 
**Good  master,  come  tell  unto  me"; 

"I  have  brought  hither  the  Sheriff  of  Nottingham 
This  day  to  dine  with  thee." 

Then  Robin  took  his  cloak  from  his  back 

And  laid  it  upon  the  ground; 
And  out  of  the  Sheriff's  portmanteau 

He  took  three  hundred  pound. 

He  then  led  the  Sheriff  through  the  wood. 

And  set  him  on  his  dapple  grey ; 
*' Commend  Robin  Hood  to  your  wife  at  home," 

He  said,  and  went  laughing  away. 

Now  Robin  Hood  had/ no  hj^iag-^or  ^  company  of_ 
^le  men  about  hirrj.  and  sent  off  Little  John  and  Will 
Scarle1;t  to  the  great  road  known  as  Watling  Street,  with 
orders  to  hide  among  the  trees  and  wait  till  some(a^veiX: 
ture)  might  come  to  them ;  and  if  they  took  captive  earl 
or  baron,  abbot  or  knight,  he  was  to  be  brought  unharmed 
back  to  Robin  Hood. 

But  all  along  Watling  Street  the  road  was  bare;  white 
and  hard  it  lay  in  the  sun,  without  the  tiniest  cloud  of 
dust  to  show  that  a  rich  company  might  be  coming:  east 
and  west  the  land  lay  still. 

At  length,  just  where  a  side  path  turned  into  the  broad 
highway,  there  rode  a  knight,  and  a  sorrier  man  than  he 
never  sat  a  horse  on  summer  day.  One  foot  only  was 
in  the  stirrup,  the  other  hung  carelessly  by  his  side;  his 
head  was  bowed,  the  reins  dropped  loose,  and  his  horse 
went  on  as  he  would.  At  so  sad  a  sight  the  hearts  of 
he  outlaws  were  nlled  with  pity,  land  Little  John  fell  on 


i 


176  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

his  knees  and  bade  the  knight  welcome  in  the  name  of 
his  master. 

"Who  is  your  master?"  asked  the  knight. 

"Robin  Hood,"  answered  Little  John. 

"I  have  heard  much  good  of  him, "  repHed  the  knight, 
"and  will  go  with  you  gladly. " 

Then  they  all  set  off  together,  tears  running  down  the 
knight's  cheeks  as  he  rode,  but  he  said  nothing,  neither 
was  anything  said  to  him.  And  in  this  wise  they  came 
to  Robin  Hood. 

"Welcome,  Sir  Knight,"  cried  he,  "and  thrice  wel- 
come, for  I  waited  to  break  my  fast  till  you  or  some  other 
had  come  to  me." 

"God  save  you,  good  Robin,"  answered  the  knight, 
and  after  they  had  washed  themselves  in  the  stream  they 
sat  down  to  dine  off  bread,  with  flesh  of  the  King's  deer, 
and  swans  and  pheasants.  "Such  a  dinner  have  I  not 
had  for  three  weeks  and  more,"  said  the  knight.  "And 
if  I  ever  come  again  this  way,  good  Robin,  I  will  give 
you  as  fine  a  dinner  as  you  have  given  me. " 

"I  thank  you,"  replied  Robin,  "my  dinner  is  always 
welcome;  still,  I  am  none  so  greedy  but  I  can  wait  for  it. 
But  before  you  go,  pay  me,  I  pray  you,  for  the  food  which 
you  have  had.  It  was  never  the  custom  for  a  yeoman 
to  pay  for  a  knight." 

"My  bag  is  empty,"  said  the  knight,  "save  for  ten 
shillings  only. " 

"Go,  Little  John,  and  look  in  his  wallet,"  said  Robin, 
"and.  Sir  Knight,  if  in  truth  you  have  no  more, not  one 
penny  will  I  take;  nay,  I  will  give  you  all  that  you  shall 
need. " 

So  Little  John  spread  out  the  knight's  mantle,  and  opened 
the  bag,  and  therein  lay  ten  shillings  and  naught  besides. 


Rohin  Hood  177 

''What  tidings,  Little  John?"  cried  his  master. 

"Sir,  the  knight  speaks  truly,"  said  Little  John. 

"Then  tell  me,  Sir  Knight,  whether  it  is  your  own  ill 
doings  which  have  brought  you  to  this  sorry  pass. " 

"For  an  hundred  years  my  fathers  have  dwelt  in  the 
forest,"  answered  the  knight,  "and  four  hundred  pounds 
might  they  spend  yearly.  But  within  two  years  misfor- 
tune has  befallen  me,  and  my  wife  and  children  also." 

"How  did  this  evil  come  to  pass?"  asked  Robin. 

"Through  my  own  folly,"  answered  the  knight,  "and 
because  of  my  great  love  I  bore  my  son,  who  would  never 
be  guided  of  my  counsel,  and  slew,  ere  he  was  twenty 
years  old,  a  knight  of  Lancaster  and  his  squire.  For 
their  deaths  I  had  to  pay  a  large  sum,  which  I  could  not 
raise  without  giving  my  lands  in  pledge  to  the  rich  Abbot 
of  St.  Mary's.  If  I  cannot  bring  him  the  money  by  a 
certain  day  they  will  be  lost  to  me  for  ever. " 

"What  is  the  sum?"  asked  Robin.     "Tell  me  truly." 

^'It  is  four  hundred  pounds,"  said  the  knight. 

"And  what  will  you  do  if  you  lose  your  lands?"  asked 
Robin  again. 

"Hide  myself  over  the  sea,"  said  the  knight,  "and  bid 
farewell  to  my  friends  and  country.  There  is  no  better 
way  open  to  me. " 

At  this  tears  fell  from  his  eyes,  and  he  turned  him  to 
depart.     "Good  day,  my  friend,"  he  said  to  Robin,  "I 

cannot  pay  you  what  I   should "     But  Robin  held 

him  fast.     "Where  are  your  friends?"  asked  he. 

"Sir,  they  have  all  forsaken  me  since  I  became  poor, 
and  they  turn  away  their  heads  if  we  meet  upon  the  road, 
though  when  I  was  rich  they  were  ever  in  my  castle. " 

When  Little  John  and  Will  Scarlett  and  the  rest  heard 
this  they  wept  for  very  shame  and  fury. 


178  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

''Little  John,"  said  Robin,  "go  to  my  treasure  chest, 
and  bring  me  thence  four  hundred  pounds.  And  be  sure 
you  count  it  truly." 

So  Little  John  went,  and  Will  Scarlett,  and  they  brought 
back  the  money. 

''Sir,"  said  Little  John,  when  Robin  had  counted  it 
and  found  it  no  more  and  no  less,  "look  at  his  clothes, 
how  thin  they  are!  You  have  stores  of  garments,  green 
and  scarlet,  in  your  coffers — no  merchant  in  England 
can  boast  the  like.  I  will  measure  some  out  with  my 
bow. "      And  thus  he  did. 

"Master, "  spoke  Little  John  again,  "there  is  still  some- 
thing else.  You  must  give  him  a  horse,  that  he  may  go 
as  beseems  his  quahty  to  the  Abbey. " 

"Take  the  grey  horse,"  said  Robin,  "and  put  a  new 
saddle  on  it,  and  take  likewise  a  good  palfrey  and  a  pair 
of  boots,  with  gilt  spurs  on  them.  And  as  it  were  a 
shame  for  a  knight  to  ride  by  himself  on  this  errand,  I 
will  lend  you  Little  John  as  squire — perchance  he  may 
stand  you  in  yeoman's  stead.'- 

"When  shall  we  meet  again?"  asked  the  knight. 

"This  day  twelve  months,"  said  Robin,  "under  the 
greenwood  tree. " 

Then  the  knight  rode  on  his  way,  with  Little  John 
behind  him,  and  as  he  went  he  thought  of  Robin  Hood 
and  his  men,  and  blessed  them  for  the  goodness  they  had 
shown  towards  him. 

"To-morrow,"  he  said  to  Little  John,  "I  must  be  at 
the  Abbey  of  St.  Mary,  which  is  in  the  city  of  York,  for 
if  I  am  but  so  much  as  a  day  late  my  lands  are  lost  for 
ever,  and  though  I  were  to  bring  the  money  I  should  not 
be  suffered  to  redeem  them." 

Now  the  Abbot  had  been  counting  the  days  as  well  as 


Robin  Hood  179 

the  knight,  and  the  next  morning  he  said  to  his  monks: 
''  This  day  year  there  came  a  knight  and  borrowed  of  me 
four  hundred  pounds,  giving  his  lands  in  surety.  And  if 
he  come  not  to  pay  his  debt  ere  midnight  tolls  they  will 
be  ours  forever." 

"It  is  full  early  yet,"  answered  the  Prior,  "he  may 
still  be  coming." 

"He  is  far  beyond  the  sea,"  said  the  Abbot,  "and 
suffers  from  hunger  and  cold.     How  is  he  to  get  here?" 

"It  were  a  shame,"  said  the  Prior,  "for  you  to  take  his 
lands.  And  you  do  him  much  wrong  if  you  drive  such  a 
hard  bargain." 

"He  is  dead  or  hanged,"  spake  a  fat-headed  monk  who 
was  the  cellarer,  "and  we  shall  have  his  four  hundred 
pounds  to  spend  on  our  gardens  and  our  wines,"  and  he 
went  with  the  Abbot  to  attend  the  court  of  justice  wherein 
the  knight's  lands  would  he  declared  forfeited  by  the 
High  Justiciar. 

"If  he  come  not  this  day,"  cried  the  Abbot,  rubbing 
his  hands,  "if  he  come  not  this  day,  they  will  be 
ours." 

"He  will  not  come  yet,"  said  the  Justiciar,  but  he  knew 
not  that  the  knight  was  already  at  the  outer  gate,  and 
Little  John  with  him. 

"Welcome,  Sir  Knight,"  said  the  porter.  "The 
horse  that  you  ride  is  the  noblest  that  ever  I  saw.  Let 
me  lead  them  both  to  the  stable,  that  they  may  have 
food  and  rest." 

"They  shall  not  pass  these  gates,"  answered  the 
knight,  sternly,  and  he  entered  the  hall  alone,  where  the 
monks  were  sitting  at  meat,  and  knelt  down  and  bowed 
to  them. 

"I  have  come  back,  my  lord,"  he  said  to  the  Abbot, 


i8o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

who  had  just  returned  from  the  court.  "  I  have  come 
back  this  day  as  I  promised." 

''Have  you  brought  my  money?  What  do  you  here 
v^ithout  it?"   cried  the  Abbot  in  angry  tones. 

"I  have  come  to  pray  you  for  a  longer  day,"  answered 
the  knight,  meekly. 

''The  day  was  fixed  and  cannot  be  gainsaid,"  replied 
the  Justiciar;  "I  am  with  the  Abbot." 

"Good  Sir  Abbot,  be  my  friend,"  prayed  the  knight 
again,  "and  give  me  one  chance  more  to  get  the  money 
and  free  my  lands.  I  will  serve  you  day  and  night  till  I 
have  four  hundred  pounds  to  redeem  them." 

But  the  Abbot  only  swore  a  great  oath,  and  vowed 
that  the  money  must  be  paid  that  day  or  the  lands  be 
forfeited. 

The  knight  stood  up  straight  and  tall:  "It  is  well," 
said  he,  "to  prove  one's  friends  against  the  hour  of  need," 
and  he  looked  the  Abbot  full  in  the  face,  and  the  Abbot 
felt  uneasy,  he  did  not  know  why,  and  hated  the  knight 
more  than  ever.  "Out  of  my  hall,  false  knight!"  cried 
he,  pretending  to  a  courage  which  he  did  not  feel.  But 
the  knight  stayed  where  he  was,  and  answered  him, 
*'You  lie,  Abbot.  Never  was  I  false,  and  that  I  have 
shown  in  jousts  and  in  tourneys." 

"Give  him  two  hundred  pounds  more,"  said  the 
Justiciar  to  the  Abbot,  "and  keep  the  lands  yourself." 

"No,  by  Heaven!"  answered  the  knight,  "not  if  you 
offered  me  a  thousand  pounds  would  I  do  it!  Neither 
justiciar,  abbot,  nor  monk  shall  be  heir  of  mine." 
Then  he  strode  up  to  a  table  and  emptied  out  four  hun- 
dred pounds.  "Take  your  gold,  Sir  Abbot,  which  yoy 
lent  to  me  a  year  agone.  Had  you  but  received  me 
civilly,  I  would  have  paid  you  something  more. 


Robin  Hood  i8i 

"  Sir  Abbot,  and  ye  men  of  law, 

Now  have  I  kept  my  day! 
Now  shall  I  have  my  land  again, 

For  aught  that  you  may  say." 

So  he  passed  out  of  the  hall  singing  merrily,  leaving  the 
Abbot  staring  silently  after  him,  and  rode  back  to  his 
house  in  Verisdale,  where  his  wife  met  him  at  the  gate. 

"  Welcome,  my  lord,"  said  his  lady, 

"  Sir,  lost  is  all  your  good." 
"  Be  merry,  dame,"  said  the  knight, 
"  And  pray  for  Robin  Hood. 

But  for  his  kindness,  \ye  would  hnv^  been  heggars^^^ 

After  this  the  knight  dwelt  at  home,  looking  after  his' 
lands  and  saving  his  mortey  carefully  till  the  four  hundred 
pounds  lay  ready  for  Robin  Hood.  Then  he  bought  a 
hundred  bows  and  a  hundred  arrows,  and  every  arrow 
was  an  ell  long,  and  had  a  head  of  silver  and  peacock's 
feathers.  And  clothing  himself  in  white  and  red,  and 
with  a  hundred  men  in  his  train,  he  set  off  to  Sherwood 
Forest. 

On  the  way  he  passed  an  open  space  near  a  bridge 
where  there  was  a  wrestling,  and  the  knight  stopped  and 
looked,  for  he  himself  had  taken  many  a  prize  in  that 
sport.  Here  the  prizes  were  such  as  to  fill  any  man  with 
envy;  a  fine  horse,  saddled  and  bridled,  a  great  white 
bull,  a  pair  of  gloves,  and  a  ring  of  bright  red  gold.  There 
was  not  a  yeoman  present  who  did  not  hope  to  win  one 
of  them.  .  But  when  the  wrestling  was  over,  the  yeoman 
who  had  peaten  them_al^was  a  man  who  kept  npnrt  from 
his  fellows,  and  was  said  to  think  miirh  -^f  hiriT^flf 
Therefore  the  men  grudged  him  his  skill,  and  set  upon  him 
with  blows,  and  would  have  killed  him,  had  not  the 


1 82  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

knight,  for  love  of  Robin  Hood,  taken  pity  on  him, 
while  his  followers  fought  with  the  crowd,  and  would  not 
suffer  them  to  touch  the  prizes  a  better  man  had  won. 

When  the  wrestling  was  finished  the  knight  rode  on, 
and  there  under  the  greenwood  tree,  in  the  place  ap- 
pointed, he  found  Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  men  waiting 
for  him,  according  to  the  tryst  that  they  had  fixed  last 
year: 

t   "  God  save  thee,  Robin  Hood, 
I        And  all  this  company." 
1  "  Welcome  be  thou,  gentle  knight, 
And  right  welcome  to  me." 

"  Hast  thou  thy  land  again  ?  "  said  Robin, 

''Truth  then  thou  tell  me." 
"Yea,  for  God,"  said  the  knight, 

"And  that  thank  I  God  and  thee." 

"\EIave  here  four  hundred  pounds,"  said  the  knight, 

"  The  which  you  lent  to  me; 
And  here  are  also  twenty  marks 

For  your  courtesie." 

But  Robin  would  not  take  the  money.  Then  he  noticed  the 
bows  and  arrows  which  the  knight  had  brought,  and 
asked  what  they  were.  * '  A  poor  present  to  you , ' '  answered 
the  knight,  and  Robin,  who  would  not  be  outdone,  sent 
Little  John  once  more  to  his  treasury,  and  bade  him 
bring  forth  foUr  hundred  pounds,  which  was  given  to  the 
knight.  After  that  they  parted,  in  much  love,  and  Robin 
prayed  the  knight  if  he  were  in  any  strait  "to  let  him  know 

^  6.  at  the  greenwood  tree,  and  while  there  was__any  goia 

^"^  ihSlEE!iHould_haye~7r** 

^  Now  the  King  had  no  mind  that  Robin  Hood  should 
do  as  he  willed,  and  called  his  knights  to  follow  him  to 
Nottingham,  where  they  would  lay  plans  how  best  to 


Robin  Hood  183 

take  captive  the  felon.  Here  they  heard  sad  tales  of 
Robin's  misdoings,  and  how  of  the  many  herds  of  wild 
deer  that  had  been  wont  to  roam  the  forest  in  some  places 
scarce  one  remained.  This  was  the  work  of  Robin  Hood 
and  his  merry  men,  on  whom  the  king  swore  vengeance 
with  a  great  oath. 

''I  would  I  had  this  Robin  Hood  in  my  hands,"  cried 
he,  ''and  an  end  should  soon  be  put  to  his  doings."  So 
spake  the  King;  but  an  old  knight,  full  of  days  and 
wisdom,  answered  him  and  warned  him  that  the  task  of 
taking  Robin  Hood  would  be  a  sore  one,  and  best  let 
alone.  The  King,  who  had  seen  the  vanity  of  his  hot 
words  the  moment  that  he  had  uttered  them,  listened  to 
the  old  man,  and  resolved  to  bide  his  time,  if  perchance 
some  day  Robin  should  fall  into  his  power. 

All  this  time  and  for  six  weeks  later  that  he  dwelt  in 
Nottingham  the  King  could  hear  nothing  of  Robin,  who 
seemed  to  have  vanished  into  the  earth  with  his  merry 
men,  though  one  by  one  the  deer  were  vanishing  tool 

At  last  one  day  a  forester  came  to  the  King,  and  told 
him  that  if  he  would  see  Robin  he  must  come  with  him 
and  take  five  of  his  best  knights.  The  King  eagerly 
sprang  up  to  do  his  bidding,  and  the  six  men  clad  in 
monk's  clothes  mounted  their  palfreys  and  rode  down  to 
the  Abbey,  the  King  wearing  an  Abbot's  broad  hat  over 
his  crown  and  singing  as  he  passed  through  the  green- 
wood. 

Suddenly  at  the  turn  of  the  path  Robin  and  his 
archers  appeared  before  them. 

"By  your  leave,  Sir  Abbot,"  said  Robin,  seizing  the 
King's  bridle,  "you  will  stay  a  while  with  us.  Know 
that  we  are  yeomen,  who  live  upon  the  King's  deer,  and 
other  food  have  we  none.     Now  vou  have  abbevs  and 


184  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

churches,  and  gold  in  plenty;  therefore  give  us  some  of  it, 
in  the  name  ofii^l};^harit3V 

''I  have  no  more  than  forty  pounds  with  me,"  answered 
the  King,  "but  sorry  I  am  it  is  not  a  hundred,  for  you 
should  have  had  it  all." 

So  Robin  took  the  forty  pounds,  and  gave  half  to  his 
men,  and  then  told  the  King  he  might  go  on  his  way. 
"I  thank  you,"  said  the  King,  *'but*I  would  have  you 
know  that  our  liege  lord  has  bid  me  bear  you  his  seal, 
and  pray  you  to  come  to  Nottingham." 

At  this  message  Robin  bent  his  knee. 

"I  love  no  man  in  all  the  world 
So  well  as  I  do  my  King," 

he  cried,  ''and,  Sir  Abbot,  for  thy  tidings,  which  fill  my 
heart  with  joy,  to-day  thou  shalt  dine  with  me,  for  love  of 
my  King. "  Then  he  led  the  King  into  an  open  place,  and 
Robin  took  a  horn  and  blew  it  loud,  and  at  its  blast  seven- 
score  of  young  men  came  speedily  to  do  his  will. 

''They  are  quicker  to  do  hisbidding  than  my  men  are 
to  do  minej^"  said  the  King  to  himself. 

Speedily  the  foresters  set  out  the  dinner,  venison  and 
white  bread,  and  Robin  and  Little  John  served  the  King. 
''Make  good  cheer.  Abbot,  for  charity,"  said  Robin, 
"and  then  you  shall  see  what  sort  of  Hfe  we  lead,  that  so 
you  may  tell  our  King. " 

When  he  had  finished  eating  the  archers  took  their 
bows,  and  hung  rose-garlands  up  with  a  string,  and  every 
man  was  to  shoot  through  the  garland.  If  he  failed,  he 
should  have  a  buffet  on  the  head  from  Robin. 

Good  bowmen  as  they  were,  few  managed  to  stand 
the  test.  Little  John  and  Will  Scarlett,  and  Much,  all 
shot  wide  of  the  mark,  and  at  length  no  one  was  left  in 


/ 


Robin  Hood  185 

tut  Robin  himself  and  Gilbert  of  the  White  Hand. 
Then  Robin  fired  his  last  bolt,  and  it  fell  three  fingers 
from  the  garland.  "Master,"  said  Gilbert,  "you  have 
lost,  stand  forth  and  take  your  punishment. " 

"I  will  take  it,"  answered  Robin,  "but.  Sir  Abbot,  I 
pray  you  that  I  may  suffer  it  at  your  hands. " 

The  King  hesitated.  "It  did  not  become  him,"  he 
said,  "to  smite  such  a  stout  yeoman,"  but  Robin  bade 
him  smite  on;  so  he  turned  up  his  sleeve,  and  gave  Robin 
such  a  buffet  on  the  head  that  he  rolled  upon  the  ground. 

"'There  is  pith  in  your  arm,"  said  Robin.  "Come, 
shoot  a-main  with  me. "  And  the  King  took  up  a  bow, 
and  in  so  doing  his  hat  fell  back  and  Robin  saw  his  face. 

"My  lord  the  King  of  England,  now  I  know  you  well, " 
cried  he,  and  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  all  the  outlaws 
with  him.  "  Mercy  I  ask,  my  lord  the  King,  for  my  men 
and  me." 

"Mercy  I  grant, "  then  said  the  King,  "and  therefore  I 
came  hither,  to  bid  you  and  your  men  leave  the  green- 
wood and  dwell  in  my  court  with  me. " 

' So  it  shall  be, "  answered  Robin,  "I  and  my  men  will 
coriTe-ttT  your  tnnrt,  and  see  how  your  service  liketh  us. " 

"  Have  you  any  green  cloth, "  asked  the  King,  "that  you 
could  sell  to  me?"  and  Robin  brought  out  thirty  yards 
and  more,  and  clad  the  King  and  his  men  in  coats  of 
Lincoln  green.  "Now  we  will  all  ride  to  Nottingham," 
said  he,  and  they  went  merrily,  shooting  by  the  w^ay. 

The  people  of  Nottingham  saw  them  coming,  and 
trembled  as  they  watched  the  dark  mass  of  Lincoln  green 
drawing  near  over  the  fields.  "I  fear  lest  our  King  be 
slain,"  whispered  one  to  another,  "and  if  Robin  Hood 
gets  into  the  town  there  is  not  one  of  us  whose  life  is  safe  " ; 
and  every  man,  woman,  and  child  made  ready  to  fly. 


1 86  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  King  laughed  out  when  he  saw  their  fright,  and 
called  them  back.  Right  glad  were  they  to  hear  his  voice, 
and  they  feasted  and  made  merry.  A  few  days  later  the 
King  returned  to  London,  and  Robin  dwelt  in  his  court 
for  twelve  months.  By  that  time  he  had  spent  a  hundred 
pounds,  for  he  gave  largely  to  the  knights  and  squires  he 
met,  and  great  renown  he  had  for  his  openhandedness. 

But  his  men  who  had  been  born  under  the  shadow  of 
the  forest,  could  not  live  amid  streets  and  houses.  One 
by  one  they  slipped  away,  till  only  little  John  and  Will 
Scarlett  were  left.  Then  Robin  himself  grew  home-sick, 
and  at  the  sight  of  some  young  men  shooting  thought 
upon  the  time  when  he  was  accounted  the  best  archer  in 
all  England,  and  went  straightway  to  the  King  and 
begged  for  leave  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Bernisdale. 

''I  may  not  say  you  nay,"  answered  the  King;  *' seven 
nights  you  may  be  gone  and  no  more."  And  Robin 
thanked  him,  and  that  evening  set  out  for  the  greenwood. 

It  was  early  morning  when  he  reached  it  at  last,  and 
listened  thirstily  to  the  notes  of  singing  birds,  great  and 
small. 

''It  seems  long  since  I  was  here,"  he  said  to  himself; 
''  It  would  give  me  great  joy  if  I  could  bring  down  a  deer 
once  more,"  and  he  shot  a  great  hart,  and  blew  his  horn, 
and  all  the  owtlaws  of  the  forest  came  flocking  round 
him.  Jf'' Welcome,"  they  said,  "our  dear  master,  back  to 
^he  greenwood  tree,"  and  they  threw  off  their  caps  and 
Jellon  their  knees  before  him  in  delight  at  his  return. 

For  two  and  twenty  years  Robin  Hood  dwelt  in  Sher- 
wood forest  after  he  had  run  away  from  court,  and 
naught  that  the  King  could  say  would  tempt  him  back 
again.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  fell  ill;  he  neither 
ate  nor  drank,  and  had  no  care  for  the  things  he  loved. 


Robin  Hood  187 

"I  must  go  to  merry  Kirkley, "  said  he,  "and  have  my 
blood  let." 

But  Will  Scarlett,  who  heard  his  words,  spoke  roundly 
to  him.  "Not  by  my  leave,  nor  without  a  hundred  bow- 
men at  your  back.  For  there  abides  an  evil  man,  who  is 
sure  to  quarrel  with  you,  and  you  will  need  us  badly. " 

*'If  you  are  afraid.  Will  Scarlett,  you  may  stay  at 
home,  for  me,"  said  Robin,  "and  in  truth  no  man  will  I 
take  with  me,  save  Little  John  only,  to  carry  my  bow. " 

"  Bear  your  bow  yourself,  master,  and  I  will  bear  mine." 

"Very  well,  let  it  be  so, "  said  Robin,  and  they  went  on 
merrily  enough  till  they  came  to  some  women  weeping 
sorely  near  a  stream. 

"What  is  the  matter,  good  wives?"  said  Robin  Hood. 

"We  w^ep  for  Robin  Hood  and  his  dear  body,  which 
to-day  must  let  blood, "  was  the  answer. 

"Pray  why  do  you  weep  for  me?"  asked  Robin;  "the 
Prioress  is  the  daughter  of  my  aunt,  and  well  I  know  she 
would  not  do  me  harm  for  all  the  world.  "  And  he  passed 
on,  with  Little  John  at  his  side. 

Soon  they  reached  the  Priory,  where  they  were  let  in 
by  the  Prioress  herself,  who  bade  them  welcome  heartily, ' 
and  not  the  less  because  Robin  handed  her  twenty  pounds 
in  gold  as  payment  for  his  stay,  and  told  her  if  he  cost 
her  more,  she  was  to  let  him  know  of  it.  Then  she  began 
to  bleed  him,  and  for  long  Robin  said  nothing,  giving  her 
credit  for  kindness  and  for  knowing  her  art,  but  at  length 
so  much  blood  came  from  him  that  he  suspected  treason. 
He  tried  to  open  the  door,  for  she  had  left  him  alone  in 
the  room,  but  it  was  locked  fast,  and  while  the  blood  was 
still  flowing  he  could  not  escape  from  the  casement.  So 
he  lay  down  for  many  hours,  and  none  came  near  him, 
and  at  length  the  blood  stopped.     Slowly  Robin  uprose 


1 88  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  staggered  to  the  lattice-window,  and  blew  thrice  on 
his  horn;  but  the  blast  was  so  low,  and  so  little  like  what 
Robin  was  wont  to  give,  that  Little  John,  who  was 
watching  for  some  sound,  felt  that  his  master  must  be 
nigh  to  death. 

At  this  thought  he  started  to  his  feet,  and  ran  swiftly 
to  the  Priory.  He  broke  the  locks  of  all  the  doors  that 
stood  between  him  and  Robin  Hood,  and  soon  entered 
the  chamber  where  his  master  lay,  white,  with  nigh  all 
his  blood  gone  from  him. 

''  I  crave  a  boon  of  you,  dear  master, "  cried  Little  John. 

"And  w^hat  is  that  boon,"  said  Robin  Hood,  'Svhich 
Little  John  begs  of  me?"  And  Little  John  answered, 
"It  is  to  burn  Kirkley  Hall,  and  all  the  nunnery." 

But  Robin  Hood,  in  spite  of  the  wrong  that  had  been 
done  him,  would  not  listen  to  Little  John's  cry  for  re^ 
venge.  "I  neygr  huj:t_a  woman  in_all  mv  life,"  he  said. 
*'  nor  a  man  that  was  in  her  company.  But  now  my  time 
is  done.  That  know  I  well.  So  give  me  my  bow  and  a 
broad  arrow,  and  w^heresoever  it  falls  there  shall  my 
grave  be  digged.  Lay  a  green  sod  under  my  head  and 
another  at  my  feet,  and  put  beside  me  my  bow,  w^hich 
ever  made  sweetest  music  to  my  ears,  and  see  that  green 
and  gravel  make  my  grave.  And,  Little  John,  take  care 
that  I  have  length  enough  and  breadth  enough  to 
lie  in. "  So  Robin  he  loosened  his  last  arrow  from  the 
string.  He  then  died.  And  where  the  arrow  fell  Robin 
was  buried. 


CHAPTER    XIII 


RICHARD    THE    LION-HEARTED 


KING  RICHARD,  with  his  chief  nobles,  disem- 
barked at  Acre  an  hour  before  noon  on  the  8th 
day  of  June,  1191.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  him 
without  difficulty,  by  the  favour  of  one  who  has  a  charge 
in  the  ordering  of  the  harbour.  Nor  was  this  a  small 
thing,  for  there  was  such  a  press  and  crowding  of 
men. 

The  King  was  as  noble  a  warrior  as  ever  I  have  seen. 
Som"b  that  I  have  known  were  taller  of  stature,  but  never 
one  that  bore  himself  more  bravely  and  showed  more 
likelihood  of  strength  and  courage.  They  that  are  learned 
in  such  things  said  that  his  arms  were  over-long  for  the 
height  of  his  body;  but  this  is  scarce  a  fault  in  a  swords- 
man, another  inch  of  length  adding  I  know  not  how 
much  of  strength  to  a  blow.  He  was  of  a  ruddy  com- 
plexion, his  eyes  blue,  with  a  most  uncommon  fire  in 
them,  such  as  few  could  dare  to  look  into  if  his  wrath 
was  kindled,  his  countenance,  such  as  befitted  a  ruler  of 
men,  being  of  an  aspect  both  generous  and  command- 
ing. 

Some  ten  days  after  his  coming  to  the  camp  King 
Richard  was  taken  with  sickness.  This  was  never  al- 
together absent,  but  it  grew  worse,  as  might  indeed  be 
looked  for,  in  the  heats  of  summer.  The  King  sickened 
on  the  day  which  the  Christians  celebrate  as  the  Feast  of 


1 9©  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

St.  Barnabas.*  I  was  called  to  see  him,  having,  as  I 
have  said,  no  small  fame  as  a  healer.  Never  have  I 
seen  a  sick  man  more  intractable.  My  medicine  he 
swallowed  readily,  I  may  say,  even  greedily.  Had  I 
suffered  it,  he  would  have  taken  it  at  intervals  shorter  by 
far  than  I  ordered.  Doubtless  he  thought  that  the  more 
a  man  has  of  a  good  thing,  the  better  it  is  for  him.  (So 
indeed  many  believe,  and  of  other  things  besides  medi- 
cine, but  wholly  without  reason).  But  in  this  I  hindered 
him,  leaving  with  those  who  ministered  to  him  sufficient 
for  one  dose  only. 

He  was  troubled  about  many  things,  about  the  siege, 
which,  as  he  justly  thought,  had  already  been  too  much 
drawn  out,  about  King  Philip  of  France,  whom  he  loved 
not  nor  trusted,  about  his  engines  of  war,  of  which  the 
greater  part  had  not  yet  reached  the  camp;  the  ships 
that  bore  them  having  been  outsailed  by  the  rest  of  the 
fleet.  His  fever  was  of  the  intermittent  sort,  coming 
upon  him  on  alternate  days.  On  the  days  when  he  was 
whole,  or  as  nearly  whole  as  a  man  sick  of  this  ague  may 
ever  be,  he  was  busy  in  the  field,  causing  such  engines 
as  he  had  to  be  set  in  convenient  places  for  the  assault 
of  the  town,  and  in  other  cares  such  as  fall  to  a  general. 
When  he  was  perforce  shut  in  his  pavilion  by  access  of 
the  fever,  he  suffered  himself  to  take  no  rest.  Messengers 
were  coming  and  going  from  morning  to  night  with  news 
of  the  siege — he  could  never  hear  enough  of  the  doings  of 
the  French  King — and  there  were  always  near  him  men 
skilful  in  the  working  and  making  of  engines.     One 


*The  longest  day  according  to  the  old  calendar.    So  the  old  adage  has 
it: 

"  Barnaby  bright,  Bamaby  bright; 
Longest  day  and  shortest  night." 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted 


191 


would  show  him  some  new  thing  pictured  upon  paper; 
another  would  bring  a  little  image,  so  to  speak,  of  an 
engine,  made  in  wood  or  iron.  Never  was  a  child  more 
occupied  with  a  toy  than  was  King  Richard  with  these 
things.  I  am  myself  no  judge  of  such  matters,  but  I 
have  heard  it  said  by  men  well  acquainted  with  them, 
that  the  King  had  a  marvellous  understanding  of  such 
contrivances.  But  these  cares  were  a  great  hindrance  to 
recovery.  So  at  least  I  judged,  and  doubtless  it  had  been 
thus  in  the  case  of  most  men.  But  the  King  was  not  as 
others,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  he  drove  away  his  dis- 
ease by  sheer  force  of  will. 

On  a  certain  evening  when  King  Richard  was  mending 
apace  of  his  fever  one  came  to  his  tent — an  English 
knight,  Hugh  Brown  by  name — who  brought  the  news 
that  the  King  of  the  French  had  commanded  that  a  general 
assault  should  be  made  on  the  town  the  very  next  day. 
The  King  would  fain  know  the  cause  of  this  sudden 
resolve.  "Well,"  said  the  English  knight,  '4t  came 
about,  as  I  understand,  in  this  fashion.  The  Turks 
have  this  day  destroyed  two  engines  of  King  Philip  on 
which  he  had  spent  much  time  and  gold."  "Aye!" 
said  King  Richard,  "I  know  the  two;  the  cat  and  the 
mantlet.  They  are  pretty  contrivings  the  both  of  them, 
but  I  set  not  such  store  on  them  as  does  my  brother  of 
France."  And  here  I  should  say  that  the  cat  was  like 
to  a  tent  made  of  hides  long  and  narrow  and  low  upon  the 
ground,  with  a  pointed  end  as  it  might  be  a  plough- 
share, which  could  be  brought  up  to  the  walls  by  men 
moving  it  from  within,  and  so  sheltered  from  the  stones  and 
darts  of  the  enemy.  As  for  the  mantlet,  it  was  made 
in  somwhat  the  same  fashfon,  only  it  was  less  in  size, 
nor  was  it  to  be  brought  near  to  the  wall.     King  Philip 


192  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

loved  dearly  to  sit  in  it,  cross-bow  in  hand — the  French, 
I  noted,  like  rather  the  cross-bow,  the  English  the 
long-bow — and  w^ould  shoot  his  bolts  at  any  Turk  that 
might  show  himself  upon  the  walls. 

But  to  come  back  to  the  knight's  story.  ''An  hour  or 
so  after  noon,  when  the  cat  had  been  brought  close  to  the 
wall,  and  the  mantlet  was  in  its  accustomed  place,  some 
fifty  yards  distant,  the  Turks  made  an  attack  on  both 
at  the  same  moment  of  time.  On  to  the  cat  they  dropped 
a  heavy  beam ;  and  when  this  with  its  weight  had  broken 
in  the  roof,  or  I  should  rather  say  the  back  of  the  cat,  a 
great  quantity  of  brushwood,  and  after  the  brushwood 
a  whole  pailful  of  Greek  fire* — the  machine  was  over  near 
to  the  wall,  so  that  these  things  could  be  dropped  on  it 
from  above.  At  the  mantlet  they  aimed  bolts  from  a  strong 
engine  which  they  had  newly  put  in  place,  and  by  ill  luck 
broke  it  through.  And  verily  before  the  nimblest- 
tongued  priest  in  the  whole  realm  of  England  could  say 
a  hunting-mass,  both  were  in  a  blaze." 

What  the  man  might  mean  by  the  priest  and  the  hunt- 
ing-mass I  knew  not  then,  but  heard  after,  that  when  a 
noble  wall  go  forth  hunting,  the  service  which  they  call 
the  mass  is  shortened  to  the  utmost,  and  the  priest  that 
can  say  it  more  speedily  than  his  brethren  is  best  esteemed. 

"And  my  brother  of  France,"  cried  the  King,  ''how 
fared  he  ?"  "  He  had  as  narrow  an  escape  with  his  life," 
answered  the  knight,  "as  ever  had  Christian  king.  His 
mantle,  nay  his  very  hair  was  singed,  and  as  for  his  cross- 
bow, he  was  constrained  to  leave  it  behind."  "And 
he  gave  commands  for  the  assault  in  his  anger?"  said 
the  King.     "  'Tis  even  so,"  answered  Sir  Hugh. 


*  A  composition,  supposedly  of  asphalt,  nitre  and    sulphur.     It  burnt 
under  water. 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  193 

"My  brother  of  France  is,  methinks,  too  greedy  of 
gain  and  glory ;  if  he  had  been  willing  to  ask  our  help,  he 
had  done  better."  But  King  Richard  sorrowed  for  the 
brave  men,  fellow-soldiers  of  the  Cross  with  him,  who 
had  fallen  to  no  purpose.  Nevertheless,  in  his  secret 
heart,  he  was  not  ill-pleased  that  the  French  King  had  not 
taken  the  town  of  Acre. 

On  the  second  day  after  the  failure  of  the  French 
assault  upon  the  town,  King  Richard  would  make  his 
own  essay.  He  was  not  yet  wholly  recovered  of  his 
sickness;  but  it  would  have  passed  the  wit  of  man  to 
devise  means  by  which  he  could  be  kept  within  his 
pavilion;  nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  such  restraint 
might  have  done  him  more  of  harm  than  of  good.  So 
his  physicians,  for  he  had  those  who  regularly  waited  on 
him  (though  I  make  bold  to  say  that  he  trusted  in  me 
rather  than  in  them),  gave  him  the  permission  which  he 
had  taken.  He  had  caused  a  mantlet  to  be  built  for  him 
which  was  brought  up  to  the  edge  of  the  ditch  with  which 
the  town  was  surrounded.  In  this  he  sat,  with  a  cross- 
bow in  hand,  and  shot  not  a  few  of  the  enemy,  being 
skilful  beyond  the  common  in  the  use  of  this  weapon. 
But  towns  are  not  taken  by  the  shooting  of  bolts,  how- 
soever well  aimed  they  may  be.  This  may  not  be  done 
save  by  coming  to  close  quarters. 

It  was  on  the  thirty-fourth  day  after  the  coming  of 
King  Richard  that  the  town  was  given  up.  Proclamation 
was  made  throughout  the  camp  that  no  one  should  tres- 
pass by  deed  or  word  against  the  departing  Turks.  And, 
indeed,  he  who  would  insult  men  so  brave  would  be  of  a 
poor  and  churlish  spirit.  To  the  last  they  bore  them- 
selves with  great  courage  and  dignity.  On  the  morning 
of  the  day  of  their  departure  they  dressed  themselves  in 


194  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

their  richest  apparel,  and  being  so  drest  showed  them- 
selves on  the  walls.  This  done,  they  laid  aside  their 
garments,  piling  them  in  a  great  heap  in  the  market-place, 
and  so  marched  forth  from  the  town,  each  clad  in  his 
shirt  only,  but  with  a  most  cheerful  contenance. 

When  the  last  of  the  Turks  had  left  the  town  the 
Christian  army  entered.  Half  of  it  was  given  to  the 
French  king,  who  had  for  his  own  abode  the  House  of 
the  Templars,  and  half  to  King  Richard,  to  whom  was 
assigned  the  palace  of  the  Caliph.  In  like  manner  the 
prisoners  and  all  the  treasure  were  equally  divided. 

For  one  shameful  deed  the  English  King  must  answer. 
Of  this  deed  I  will  now  tell  the  story.  When  the  army 
had  had  sufficient  rest — and  the  King  knew  well  that 
no  army  must  have  more  than  is  sufficient,  suffering 
more  from  excess  than  from  defect  in  this  matter — and 
it  was  now  time  to  advance,  there  arose  a  great  question 
touching  the  agreement  made  when  the  town  was  given 
up.  There  was  much  going  to  and  fro  of  messengers 
and  embassies  between  the  English  King  and  the  Caliph 
Saladin,  much  debating,  and  many  accusations  bandied 
to  and  fro.  Even  to  this  day  no  man  can  speak  cer- 
tainly  of  what  was  done  or  not  done  in  this  matter. 
What  I  write,  I  write  according  to  the  best  of  my  know- 
ledge. First,  then,  it  is  beyond  all  doubt  that  the  Caliph 
did  not  send  either  the  Holy  Cross  or  the  money  which 
had  been  covenanted,  or  the  prisoners  whom  he  had 
promised  to  deliver  up;  but  as  to  the  cause  wherefore 
he  did  not  send  them  there  is  no  agreement,  the  Christians 
affirming  one  thing,  the  followers  of  Mahomet  another. 
As  to  the  Holy  Cross,  let  that  be  put  out  of  the  account. 
No  man  that  I  ever  talked  with — and  I  have  talked  with 
many — ever  saw  it.     'Tis  much  to  be  doubted  whether 


Richard  the  Lion- Hearted 


195 


it  was  in  being.  As  to  the  money,  that  the  Cahph  had 
it,  or  a  great  portion  of  it,  at  hand,  is  certainly  true.  It 
was  seen  and  counted  by  King  Richard's  own  envoys. 
As  to  the  prisoners,  it  is  hard  to  discover  the  truth.  For 
my  part,  I  beheve  that  the  Cahph  was  ready  to  dehver 
up  all  that  he  had  in  his  own  hands  or  could  find  else- 
where, but  that  he  had  promised  more  in  respect  of  this 
than  he  was  able  to  perform.  Many  of  those  whom  he 
had  covenanted  to  restore  were  dead,  either  of  disease 
or  by  violence.  As  for  disease,  it  must  be  noted  that  a 
sick  man  was  likely  to  fare  worse  in  the  hands  of  Turks ; 
as  for  violence,  there  was  not  much  diversity  between  the 
Christians  and  the  followers  of  Mahomet.  But  this  may 
be  said,  that  one  who  invades  the  land  of  others  is  like 
to  suffer  worse  injury  should  he  come  into  their  power 
than  he  would  have  the  disposition  to  inflict  upon  them. 
Whatever,  then,  the  cause,  the  Caliph  had  engaged  in 
this  matter  far  more  than  he  was  able  to  perform.  But 
he  did  not  fail  from  want  of  good  faith.  I  take  it  that  it 
was  from  the  matter  of  the  money  that  there  came  the 
breaking  of  the  agreement.  To  put  it  very  shortly,  the 
Caliph  said,  "Restore  to  me  the  hostages  and  you  shall 
receive  the  gold";  King  Richard  said,  ''Send  on  the 
gold  and  you  shall  receive  the  hostages."  And  neither 
was  the  Caliph  walling  to  trust  the  good  faith  of  the  King, 
nor  the  King  the  good  faith  of  the  Caliph. 

So  there  was  delay  after  delay,  much  talk  to  no  pur- 
pose, and  the  hearts  of  men,  both  on  one  side  and  on  the 
other,  growing  more  hot  with  anger  from  day  to  day. 
And  there  was  also  the  need  which  increased  from  day  to 
day,  as,  indeed,  it  needs  must,  for  the  Christians  to  be 
about  the  business  on  which  they  came.  They  had  taken 
the  town  of  Acre,  but  that  was  but  the  beginning  of  their 


196  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

enterprise,  for  they  had  to  conquer  the  whole  land.  And 
how  could  the  army  march  with  a  whole  mulitude  of 
prisoners  in  their  hands  ?  It  would  need  no  small  num- 
ber of  men  to  keep  watch  over  them,  lest  they  should 
escape,  or,  what  was  more  to  be  feared,  do  an  injury  to 
the  army.  What  could  be  worse  in  a  doubtful  battle 
than  that  there  should  be  these  enemies  in  its  very  midst  ? 
r  set  these  things  down  because  I  w^ould  not  do  an  in- 
justice to  the  English  King,  whom  I  have  always  held  as 
one  to  be  greatly  admired.  Nevertheless  I  say  again, 
that  in  the  matter  of  the  prisoners  he  did  a  shameful  deed. 
For  on  the  20th  day  of  August  he  commanded  that  all  the 
prisoners  that  were  in  his  hands,  whether  they  had  been 
taken  in  battle,  or  delivered  up  as  hostages  for  the  ful- 
filment of  the  covenant,  should  be  led  out  of  the  city  and 
slain.  These  were  in  number  between  two  and  three 
thousand.  Some  the  King  kept  alive,  for  whom,  as 
being  of  high  nobility  and  great  wealth,  he  hoped  to 
receive  a  ransom;  others  were  saved  by  private  persons, 
a  few  for  compassion's  sake;  and  others  in  the  hope  of 
gain.  But  the  greater  part  were  slain  without  mercy, 
the  soldiers  falling  upon  them,  without  arms  and  help- 
less as  they  were. 

It  was  soon  made  plain  to  all  that  the  spirit  of  the 
Caliph  and  his  Turks  was  not  broken  by  the  losing  of 
Acre.  Rather  were  they  stirred  up  by  it  to  more  earnest- 
ness and  courage;  nor  did  they  forget  how  their  country- 
men had  been  cruelly  slaughtered.  For  a  time  they 
were  content  to  watch  the  King's  army  as  it  went  on  its 
way,  taking  such  occasion  as  offered  itself  of  plundering 
or  slaying.  If  any  lagged  behind,  falling  out  of  the  line 
of  march  by  reason  of  weariness,  or  seeking  refreshment 
on  the  way,  as  when  there  was  a  spring  of  water  near  to 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted 


197 


the  road,  or  a  vineyard  with  grapes — 'twas  just  the  time 
of  the  ripening  of  grapes — then  the  Turkish  horsemen 
would  be  upon  him.  Such  loiterers  escaped  but  seldom. 
And  for  this  business  the  Turks  had  a  particular  fitness, 
so  quickly  did  they  come  and  depart.  The  Christian 
knights  were  clad  in  armour,  a  great  defense,  indeed, 
against  arrows  and  stones,  but  a  great  hindrance  if  a 
man  would  move  quickly;  the  horses  also  had  armour 
on  them.  Why  do  they  set  men  on  horses  but  that 
they  may  go  speedily  to  and  fro  as  occasion  may  call? 
but  these  knights  are  like  to  fortresses  rather  than  to 
riders.  A  man  on  foot  can  easily  outrun  them;  as  for 
the  Turks  who  rode  on  horses  from  the  desert — than 
which  there  is  no  creature  on  earth  lighter  and  speedier 
— they  flew  from  the  Christian  who  would  pursue  them, 
as  a  bird  flies  from  a  child  who  would  catch  it. 

All  this  while  the  Turks  were  close  at  hand,  and  ready 
to  assault  the  King's  army  so  soon  as  a  convenient  occa- 
sion would  arise.  But  they  did  not  take  King  Richard 
unaware,  for  indeed  he  was  as  watchful  as  he  was  brave. 

I  will  now  set  forth  as  briefly  as  may  be  the  order  of 
the  army  as  it  was  set  out  for  battle  at  Arsuf.  On  the 
right  hand  of  the  army  was  the  sea,  its  front  being  set 
towards  the  south.  In  the  van  were  the  Templars,  and 
next  to  these  the  Frenchmen  in  two  divisions,  the  second 
being  led  by  that  Guy  who  called  himself  King  of 
Jerusalem,  and  after  the  Frenchmen  King  Richard 
with  his  Englishmen;  last  of  aU,  holding  the  rear-guard, 
were  the  Hospitallers.  These  are  ever  rivals  of  the 
Templars,  and  it  was  the  King's  custom  so  to  order  his 
disposition  that  this  rivalry  should  work  for  the  common 
good.  On  one  day  the  Templars  would  lead,  and  the 
Hospitallers  bring  up  the  rear;  on  another  each  would 


igS  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

take  the  other's  place;  and  there  was  ever  a  mighty 
contention  between  the  two  companies  which  would  bear 
itself  the  better.  These  two  posts,  it  should  be  said, 
were  the  most  full  of  peril;  nor  was  any  part  of  the  army 
save  only  these  two  companies  suffered  to  hold  either 
the  one  or  the  other.  Between  the  divisions  there  was 
a  small  space,  not  more  that  sufficient  to  mark  one  from 
the  other:  otherwise  the  soldiers  stood  and  marched  in 
as  close  array  as  might  be.  Also  they  moved  very  slowly, 
travelling  less  than  a  league  in  the  space  of  two  hours. 
And  even  the  King  with  some  chosen  knights  rode  up  and 
down  the  lines,  watching  at  the  same  time  the  Turks, 
so  that  whenever  they  might  make  assault  the  army 
might  be  ready  to  meet  them. 

Now  King  Richard's  commandment  had  been  that 
the  Christians  should  on  no  account  break  their  lines  to 
attack  the  enemy,  but  should  only  defend  themselves  as 
best  they  could.  There  is  nothing  harder  in  the  whole 
duty  of  a  soldier  than  so  to  stand;  even  they  who  have 
been  men  of  war  from  their  youth  grow  greatly  impatient ; 
as  for  the  younger  sort  they  often  fail  to  endure  altogether. 
Many  a  man  will  sooner  throw  himself  upon  almost  sure 
death  than  abide  danger  less  by  far  standing  still.  And 
so  it  could  be  seen  that  day  in  the  Christian  army.  The 
first  to  fail  were  the  men  that  carried  the  cross-bows; 
nor,  indeed,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  when  they  had 
spent  their  store  of  bolts,  they,  having  but  short  swords 
wherewith  to  defend  themselves,  should  be  ill  content 
to  hold  their  place.  Many  I  did  see  throw  away  their 
bows  and  fly,  thrusting  themselves  by  main  force  into 
the  ranks  of  the  men-at-arms,  who  liked  not  to  beat 
them  back,  nor  yet  to  suffer  them  to  pass.  And  they 
themselves  had  much  ado   to   hold  their  ground,  for  it 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  199 

was  a  very  fierce  assault  that  they  had  to  endure.  In  the 
first  place  there  was  such  a  shower  of  darts  and  stones 
and  arrows  that  the  very  light  of  the  sun  itself  was  dark- 
ened, a  thing  which  I  had  always  before  judged  to  be 
a  fable,  but  saw  that  day  to  be  possible.  The  greater 
part  of  them,  it  is  true,  fell  without  effect  to  the  ground, 
for  of  twenty  missiles  scarce  one  served  its  purpose,  but 
some  were  not  cast  in  vain.  As  for  the  number,  they 
lay  so  thick  upon  the  ground  that  a  man  might  gather 
twenty  into  his  hand  without  moving  from  his  place. 

About  noon  the  Knights  Hospitallers  themselves, 
than  whom,  as  I  have  said,  there  were  no  braver  men  in 
the  whole  army,  sent  word  to  the  King  that  they  could 
bear  up  no  longer,  unless  they  should  be  suffered  to  charge 
the  enemy.  But  they  got  small  comfort  from  the  King. 
"Close  up  your  lines,"  he  said  to  the  messenger,  "and 
be  patient.  Be  sure  that  you  shall  not  miss  your  reward. " 
A  second  time  did  they  send  to  him,  the  Master  of  the 
Company  himself  going  on  the  errand,  but  he  also  came 
back  with  nothing  done.  Now  the  King's  plan  was  this, 
that  when  the  Turks  should  have  spent  their  strength, 
and  should  also,  through  over-confidence  and  contempt 
of  their  adversaries,  have  fallen  into  disorder,  then  the 
trumpets  should  sound,  and  the  whole  army  with  one 
consent  and  moving  all  together,  so  that  the  whole  of 
its  strength  should  be  put,  as  it  were,  into  one  blow, 
should  fall  upon  the  enemy.  'Twas  a  wisely  conceived 
plan,  save  in  this  that  there  was  needed  for  the  full  carry 
ing  out  more  than  the  King  was  like  to  find.  He  laid 
upon  his  soldiers  a  greater  burden  of  patience  than  they 
could  bear. 

As  for  the  King,  he  was,  I  can  scarce  doubt,  glad  at 
heart  that  the  season  of  waiting  was  over.     Certain 


200  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

it  is  that  not  only  did  he  not  seek  to  call  back  his  men 
from  the  charge — doubtless  he  knew  full  well  that  to  do 
thit  was  beyond  the  power  of  mortal — but  he  himself  joined 
in  it  with  the  greatest  vehemence;  none  that  saw  him 
but  must  have  believed  that  the  affair  was  altogether  to 
his  liking.  If  others  were  before  him  at  the  first,  but  a 
short  time  had  passed  when  he  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
front  rank,  aye,  and  before  it.  Where  he  rode,  it  was 
as  if  Azrael  had  passed,  for  the  dead  lay  upon  the  ground 
on  either  side. 

Never  had  the  Caliph  Saladin  suffered  so  great  a  defeat 
as  that  which  fell  upon  him  in  the  battle  of  Arsuf; 
never,  indeed,  after  that  day  did  he  dare  to  meet  King 
Richard  in  the  open  field.  Nevertheless,  from  that  very 
day  did  the  hope  of  the  Christians  that  they  should  ac- 
complish the  end  of  their  warfare  grow  less  and  less. 
But,  if  any  one  ask  what  was  the  cause  of  this  falling, 
and  who  should  bear  the  blame,  I,  for  one,  know  not 
what  answer  should  be  made  to  him.  There  was  not 
one  in  the  whole  army  more  brave  and  more  generous 
in  this  matter  than  King  Richard;  yet  even  he,  I  hold, 
had  not  a  wholly  single  heart.  He  was  ever  thinking  of 
worldly  things;  he  desired  greatly  to  win  the  city  of  Jeru- 
salem, yet  he  desired  it  as  much  for  his  own  sake,  for 
his  own  glory  and  renown,  and  the  increase  of  his  royal 
power,  as  for  any  other  cause. 

There  is  no  need  to  tell  of  all  the  combats,  skirmishes, 
and  the  like  that  took  place,  how  on  one  day  a  company 
of  the  Templars  fell  into  an  ambush,  how  on  another 
the  Hospitallers  suffered  some  damage.  For  the  most 
part  the  Christians  had  the  better  in  these  things,  and 
this  not  a  little  because  of  the  great  skill  and  valour  of 
the  English  King.     Nevertheless,  the  fortunes    of    the 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  201 

army    seemed    to    go    backwards    rather     than     for- 
wards. 

About  this  time  the  King  began  to  have  dealings  for 
peace  with  the  Caliph  Saladin,  sending  an  embassage 
to  him,  and  receiving  the  Hke  from  him.  But  it  was 
ever  thus  that  the  King  asked  more  than  he  looked  for 
the  Caliph  to  give;  and  the  Caliph  promised  more  than 
he  had  the  purpose  to  fulfil.  There  were  many  courtesies 
passed  between  them,  and  gifts  also.  King  Richard 
would  send  a  set  of  hawks,  and,  indeed,  he  had  not  much 
that  he  could  give;  but  the  presents  that  came  from  the 
Caliph  were  of  exceeding  richness  and  splendour;  there 
was  a  tent  made  of  cloth  of  gold,  and  horses  such  as  Kings 
only  have  in  their  stalls,  and  rare  beasts  and  birds,  and 
snow  from  Lebanon,  for  the  cooling  of  wines,  and  many 
other  things,  both  for  show  and  for  use,  of  which  it  were 
long  to  tell.  And  these  things,  for  all  that  they  were 
costly,  served  the  Caliph's  purpose  well,  and  for  this 
reason,  they  seemed  to  show  his  good  will,  and  all  the 
while  he  was  busy  destroying  the  towns  and  laying  waste 
the  country.  Of  these  things  the  King  heard  something, 
but  not  all,  for  in  the  matter  of  news  he  was  ill  served.  And 
all  the  while  the  Turks  ceased  not  to  do  all  the  mischief 
that  they  could,  slaying  such  as  strayed  from  the  camp, 
yea,  and  coming  into  the  camp  itself,  and  doing 
men  to  death  in  their  very  tents,  and  Saladin,  or  rather 
Saphadin,  his  brother,  for  he  it  was  who  held  con- 
verse with  King  Richard,  when  complaints  were 
made  of  their  deeds,  affirmed  that  they  were  done 
by  robbers  and  others  who  were  not  subject  to 
him,  and  paid  no  reverence  to  his  commands;  of 
which  pretence  there  need  be  said  this  only,  that 
these  robbers    or  murderers,   whether   they    were   the 


202  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Caliph's  men  or  no,  never  harmed  any  but  such  as  were 
his  enemies. 

For  all  this  King  Richard  still  strove  by  all  means 
that  he  could  devise  to  come  to  a  peaceful  agreement 
with  his  adversaries.  Nor  did  he  refuse  any  instrument 
by  which  he  might  hope  to  compass  this  end. 

When  a  whole  moon  had  been  wasted  in  parleying 
and  the  sending  of  messengers  to  and'  fro,  the  King, 
seeing  that  he  must  accomplish  his  purpose  by  force 
of  arms  or  not  at  all,  led  his  army  towards  the  Holy  City. 
It  would  serve  no  profitable  end  to  tell  of  the  other  places 
where  he  pitched  his  camp,  or  of  the  days  which  he  tarried 
in  this  or  that.  Let  it  sufi&ce  to  say  that  in  a  month's 
time  he  traversed  so  much  space  only  as  an  army  well 
equipped  might  pass  over  in  a  single  day's  march;  and 
that  about  twenty-one  days  after  the  winter  solstice 
the  army  of  the  Christians  came  to  a  certain  place  which 
is  named  the  Casal  of  Beitenoble,  and  which  in  ancient 
times  was,  if  I  err  not,  a  city  of  the  priests.  There 
it  tarried  some  twelve  days,  being  much  troubled 
by  storms  and  rains,  for  the  winds  blew  and  the  rains 
fell  during  the  whole  of  this  time,  in  such  a  fashion  as 
I  have  never  seen.  As  for  the  tents,  only  such  as  were 
appointed  with  ropes  and  so  forth  could  be  kept  in  their 
place,  so  violent  were  the  blasts,  so  that  the  greater  part 
of  the  army  lay  under  the  open  sky,  not  a  little  to  the 
damage  of  their  health.  The  horses  also  were  in  evil 
case.  These  creatures,  all  men  know,  suffer  from  much 
sickness,  and  multitudes  of  them  perished.  Also  there 
was  a  great  scarcity  of  victuals;  for  the  corn  and  even 
the  biscuit  were  spoilt  by  the  rain,  and  the  hogs'  flesh 
grew  corrupt. 

Though  not  a  few  died  of  sickness,  yet  did  the  host 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  203 

daily  grow  greater.  Many  who  had  stayed  behind  in 
various  cities,  their  zeal  having  grown  stale,  now  came 
back  to  the  camp,  judging  that  they  would  do  well  to 
take  part  in  an  enterprise  that  was  now  near  to  success. 
Also  many  that  had  tarried  on  the  march  for  the  cause 
of  sickness  now  made  shift  to  come  to  the  camp.  Some 
I  saw  carried  in  litters,  and  others  that  could  scarce 
set  one  foot  before  the  other  crawled  painfully  along  the 
road.  Many  of  these  were  slain  by  the  Turks,  but  not 
the  less  did  the  rest  brave  the  dangers  of  the  journey. 
And  in  the  camp  there  was  a  great  furbishing  of  arms 
and  armour,  and  trimming  of  the  plumes  of  helmets, 
for  it  was  counted  an  unseemly  thing  that  any  man  should 
enter  such  a  place  as  the  Holy  City  save  in  his  best  array. 

On  a  certain  evening,  some  eleven  days  after  the  coming 
of  the  army  to  Beitenoble,  there  was  a  council  held  in  the 
tent  of  King  Richard,  at  which  were  present  the  Master 
of  the  Templars  and  the  Master  of  the  Hospitallers,  and 
other  chief  men  in  the  army.  About  an  hour  after 
sunset  the  council  came  to  an  end;  darkness  had  long 
since  fallen,  but  it  chanced  to  be  full  moon,  and  the  faces 
of  them  that  had  been  present  at  the  council  were  plain 
to  be  seen.  Before  ever  a  word  was  said,  it  was  manifest 
to  all  that  a  great  misfotrune  had  befallen  them.  For 
the  faces  of  these  men  were  clouded  with  discouragement. 
And  straightway  all  the  multitude  that  had  been  gathered 
together  departed  every  man  to  his  own  place.  There 
needed  no  proclaiming  that  neither  on  the  morrow  nor 
on  any  other  day  would  there  be  a  marching  to  the  Holy 
City. 

On  the  8th  day  of  January  the  army  departed  from 
Beitenoble,  and  on  the  20th  it  came,  after  much  toil  and 
suffering,  for  the  rain  and  tempest  scarcely  abated  for 


204  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

a  single  hour  through  the  twelve  days,  to  the  city  of 
Ascalon. 

For  some  little  time,  King  Richard  and  his  army  dwelt 
in  peace  in  the  city  of  Ascalon.  Nor  can  it  be  denied 
that  they  gathered  strength;  the  sick,  being  duly  handled 
by  their  physicians,  were  restored  to  a  sound  body,  and 
they  that  were  wearied  with  the  labours  of  long-continued 
warfare  had  rest  and  refreshment.  Nevertheless  it 
it  may  be  doubted  whether  the  King  was  able  to  advance 
the  cause  at  all  which  he  had  in  hand,  namely,  the  taking 
of  the  Holy  City.  And  the  chief  cause  was  this,  that  the 
Christians,  not  having  for  the  present  a  common  foe 
with  whom  to  contend,  began  to  quarrel  among  them- 
selves more  grievously  than  ever.  So  the  King  and  the 
French,  among  whom,  now  that  the  French  King  had 
departed  to  his  own  land,  a  certain  Duke  of  Burgundy 
was  chief,  fell  out,  and  this  with  such  heat,  that  the  duke 
departed  from  Ascalon  to  Acre  in  great  haste,  and  all 
the  Frenchmen  followed  him. 

Now  about  this  same  time  there  came  a  messenger 
to  King  Richard  bearing  a  letter  from  one  that  he  had 
set  to  rule  in  England  in  his  stead  while  he  should  be 
absent  from  his  kingdom.  In  this  letter  there  were 
written  many  things  about  the  doings  of  Prince  John 
the  King's  brother:  how  he  had  commerce  with  the 
French  to  the  King's  damage,  and  was  troubling  all 
loyal  men,  and  had  taken  all  the  money  that  was  in  the 
treasury.  When  the  King  heard  these  things  he  was 
sore  distraught.  And  indeed  he  was  in  a  great  strait.  On 
the  one  hand  there  was  the  purpose  for  which  he  had 
come  on  his  present  journey,  the  taking  again  of  the 
Holy  City;  and,  on  the  other,  there  was  the  loss  of  his 
own  kingdom  at  home.     For  in  the  letter  it  was  plainly 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  205 

* 
written  that  if  he  was  not  speedy  in  returning,  all  the 

realm  of  England  would  be  lost  to  him. 

At  the  first  he  made  no  doubt  of  departing  with  but 
as  little  delay  as  might  be.  ''I  must  be  gone,"  he  said, 
"or  my  kingdom  will  not  be  worth  a  silver  penny. "  But 
before  many  days  his  purpose  was  changed.  'Twas 
said  that  a  holy  man,  a  priest  of  the  land  of  France, 
took  courage  to  speak  to  him  and  set  before  him  his  duty 
in  this  matter.  He  said  that  the  hearts  of  all  were  sorely 
troubled  by  the  King's  purpose  to  depart — and  this  was 
most  certainly  true,  seeing  that  they  who  were  most 
jealous  of  the  King  and  chafed  most  at  his  command 
were  not  less  dismayed  by  the  news  of  his  departure  than 
were  his  best  friends.  ''Think  too,  "he  is  reported  to 
have  spoken,  ''how  that  you  will  greatly  dim  your  kingly 
renown.  You  have  done  well,  O  King,  and  God  has 
manifestly  bestowed  His  blessings  on  you.  Will  you 
then  be  ungrateful,  and,  if  your  royal  grace  will  suffer 
me  to  say  so  much,  unfaithful  to  Him?  Verily  there  is 
a  great  reward  laid  up  for  him  that  recovers  the  Holy 
City  out  of  the  hands  of  the  heathen,  and  will  you  give 
this  up  on  the  bare  rumour  of  mischief  that  may  befall 
your  estate  in  this  world?"  So  the  holy  man  is  reported 
to  have  spoken.  Such  words  may  have  had  weight  with 
the  King,  who  was  ever  greatly  moved  by  eloquent  words. 
But  I  also  believe  that  when  he  came  to  himself  he  judged 
that  there  was  no  great  need  of  haste  in  the  matter;  that 
the  Prince  John  his  brother  was  not  greatly  loved,  nor 
was  ever  like  to  be;  that  when  the  people  of  England  had 
had  a  year's  trial  of  his  rule,  if  such  should  come  to  pass, 
they  would  be  the  less  likely  to  stand  by  him;  and,  more- 
over, that  if  Richard  should  go  back  to  his  country  in 
high  esteem  among  all  men,  as  having  set  up  yet  again 
a  Christian  Kingdom  in  the  Holy  City,  his  enemies  would 


2o6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

be  brought  nought  by  the  mere  rumour  of  his  coming. 
Certain  it  is  that,  let  the  cause  be  what  it  might,  he  caused 
it  to  be  made  known  throughout  the  army  that  they 
would  set  out  for  the  Holy  City  in  three  days'  time. 

Again  there  was  great  joy  in  the  army;  again  the  sick 
rose  from  their  beds,  and  the  lame  threw  away  there 
crutches,  that  they  might  go  without  hindrance  on  this 
great  journey.  Again  did  the  army  come  almost  in  sight 
of  the  Holy  City;  again  were  all  things  ready  for  the 
assault.  And  then  once  more  the  more  skilful  and 
prudent  of  the  leaders  hindered  the  matter.  It  was  not 
well,  they  said  to  run  into  such  danger.  It  might  well 
be  that  if  they  should  assail  the  city  they  would  not  take 
it;  it  was  well-nigh  certain  that  even  if  they  should  take 
it,  they  could  not  hold  it  to  any  good  purpose.  And  so 
it  came  to  pass  that  King  Richard  and  the  army  having 
once  more  come  to  Beitenoble,  once  more  departed, 
leaving  their  task  unaccomplished. 

When  the  leaders  had  taken  this  resolve  that  they 
would  turn  back  and  the  army  was  now  about  to  depart, 
there  came  to  King  Richard  a  certain  man-at-arms, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  for  indeed, 
he  had  travelled  on  foot  as  a  pilgrim  from  the  coast  to 
Jerusalem,  and  this  not  once  only  but  twice  or  thrice. 
This  man  said,"  My  lord  King,  if  you  are  minded  to  see 
the  Holy  City,  you  can  do  so  at  little  pains.  If  you  will 
ride  a  mile  or  so  you  will  come  to  a  hill  from  whence 
you  can  see  the  walls,  and  the  hill  on  which  the  temple 
was  built  and  other  of  the  Holy  places."  But  the  King 
answered,  ''I  thank  you  much,  nor,  indeed,  is  there  any 
sight  in  the  whole  world  on  which  I  would  more  gladly  look 
wath  my  eyes,  but  I  am  not  worthy  of  so  great  a  favour 
If  it  had  been  the  will  of  God  that  I  should  see  His  city 
I  do  not  doubt  that  I  had  done  so,  not  as  one  who  looks 


Richard  the  Lion-Hearted  207 

upon  some  spectacle  from  far,  but  as  the  conqueror 
in  some  great  battle  looks  upon  the  thing  that  he  has  won. 
But  of  this  grace  I,  by  reason  I  doubt  not  of  my  sins, 
have  been  judged  unworthy."  And  when  he  had  so 
spoken  he  turned  his  horse's  head  to  the  west,  as  being 
minded  to  return  yet  again  to  the  sea-coast.  And  this 
he  did. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  King's  courage  and  skill  in  arms 
and  wisdom  in  leadership,  nor  need  I  say  these  things 
again.  But  one  thing  I  will  add,  namely,  that  of  all  the 
men  that  came  to  this  land  from  the  West  none  left  behind 
him  so  great  a  fame  as  did  King  Richard.  So  if  a  mother 
was  minded  to  make  a  crying  child  hold  his  peace,  she 
would  say,  ''Hush,  child,  or  King  Richard  shall  have 
thee";  or  if  a  horse  started  unaware,  his  rider  would  say, 
"  Dost  see  King  Richard  in  the  bush?"  V 

On  the  9th  day  of  October,  1192,  did  King  Richard 
set  sail  to  return  to  his  own  country.  But  it  fared  ill 
with  him  on  his  journey.  For  it  fell  out  that  he  was 
separated  from  all  his  friends,  and  that  when  he  was  in 
this  case  a  certain  duke,  with  whom  he  had  had  a  strife, 
laid  hands  upon  him,  and  laid  him  in  prison.  There 
he  remained  for  the  space  of  a  year  and  more,  fretting 
much,  I  doubt  not,  against  his  condition,  for  never  surely 
was  a  man  more  impatient  of  bonds.  But  he  could  not 
escape,  nor  did  his  friends  so  much  as  know  where  he 
was.  And  when  this  was  discovered  by  some  strange 
chance,  there  was  yet  much  delay,  nor  indeed  was  he 
set  free  till  there  had  been  paid  for  him  a  ransom  of  many 
thousands  of  gold  pieces.  Not  many  years  after  he  was 
slain  by  a  chance  arrow  shot  from  the  walls  of  a  certain 
castle  which  he  was  besieging,  being  then  in  the  forty- 
second  year  of  his  age. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

SAINT   LOUIS 

KING  LOUIS  sailing  from  Cyprus  about  the  24th 
day  of  May,  1249,  came  with  a  fair  wind  to 
Egypt  in  some  four  days,  having  a  great  fleet  of  ships, 
numbering  in  all,  it  was  said,  some  eighteen  hun- 
dred, great  and  small.  And  now  there  fell  upon  him 
the  first  stroke  of  misfortune.  There  arose  a  strong 
wind  from  the  south  which  scattered  the  fleet,  so  that  not 
more  than  a  third  part  remained  with  the  King.  As  for 
the  others,  they  were  blown  far  to  the  north,  even  to  the 
town  of  Acre,  and,  though  none  were  cast  away,  it  was 
many  days  before  they  could  return.  Now  the  King's 
purpose  was  to  lay  siege  to  the  town  of  Damietta,  a  town 
which  is  built  on  the  midmost  of  the  seven  mouths  of  the 
Nile.  It  was  commonly  agreed  that  whoever  should  hold 
possession  of  this  said  town  of  Damietta  might  go  whither- 
soever he  would  in  the  whole  land  of  Egypt,  and  further, 
that  whosoever  should  be  master  of  Egypt  could  do  what 
he  would  in  the  land  of  Palestine. 

When  the  King  came  with  what  was  left  to  him  over 
against  the  city  of  Damietta  there  was  much  debate 
between  him  and  his  counsellors  as  to  what  might  best  be 
done.  ''I  have  no  mind," said  he,  "to  turn  back,  having, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  come  so  far.  Say  you  that  I  should 
do  well  to  wait  for  those  who  have  been  separated  from 
us  ?  That  I  would  gladly  do,  for  it  grieves  me  much  that 
they  lose,  so  far,  their  share  in  this  great  enterprise.     But 

208 


Saint  Louis  209 

two  reasons  constrain  me  to  do  otherwise.  First,  it 
would  put  the  infidel  in  great  heart  if  they  should  see  me 
so  delay  to  make  trial  of  them;  and,  second,  there  is  here 
no  harbour  or  safe  anchorage  where  I  might  wait.  Nay, 
my  lords,  it  is  my  purpose  to  attack  the  enemy  without 
delay,  for  the  Lord  our  God  can  save  by  few  or  by  many." 

The  King  being  thus  steadfastly  resolved  to  have  no 
more  delay,  his  nobles  and  knights  could  not  choose  but 
obey  him.  This  being  so,  they  strove  among  themselves 
who  should  be  the  first  to  come  to  blows  with  the  enemy. 
There  were  small  boats  with  the  larger  of  the  ships,  and 
these  were  filled  with  men  and  rowed  to  the  shore.  This 
was  not  done  wholly  without  loss,  for  some  slipped  as 
they  descended  from  the  ships,  or  missed  their  feet,  the 
boat  moving  from  under  them  with  the  motion  of  the 
waves,  so  that  some  were  drowned  and  others  hardly 
saved. 

Meanwhile  they  took  the  great  flag  of  Saint  Denys, 
from  the  ship  in  which  it  was,  and  carried  it  to  the  shore. 
But  when  the  King  saw  the  flag  on  the  shore  he  would 
tarry  no  longer,  but  leapt  into  the  sea,  accoutred  as  he 
was,  and  the  water  came  up  to  his  armpits.  When  he 
saw  the  Saracens,  he  said  to  the  knight  that  followed 
him,  ''Who  are  these?"  And  the  knight  answered, 
''These,  sir,  are  the  Saracens."  When  he  heard  this  he 
put  his  lance  in  rest,  and  held  his  shield  before  him,  and 
would  have  charged  them,  but  his  counsellors  would 
not  suffer  it. 

When  the  enemy  saw  that  the  King  and  his  men  had 
landed,  they  sent  a  message  to  the  Sultan  by  carrier- 
pigeons;  this  they  did  three  times.  But  it  so  chanced 
that  the  Sultan  was  in  a  fit  of  the  fever  which  troubled 
him  in  the  summer  time,  and  he  sent  no  answer.     Then 


2IO  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

his  men,  thinking  that  he  was  dead,  for  they  knew  al- 
ready that  he  was  sick,  fled  straightway  from  the  town  of 
Damietta.  When  the  King  knew  this  for  certain,  the 
bishops  that  were  in  the  army  sang  the  Te  Deum  with 
great  joy.  The  army  which  King  Louis  brought  with 
him  numbered  thirty  thousand  men. 

The  army  being  thus  established  in  the  town  of  Dam- 
ietta, there  w^as  much  debate  as  to  what  should  be  done. 
The  King  w^as  set  upon  assailing  the  enemy  without 
delay.  *'It  is  by  delay,"  he  said,  and  said  truly,  ''that 
these  enterprises  have  been  ruined  heretofore,  for  not 
only  does  an  army  grow  less  and  less  with  every  day  by 
sickness — keep  it  as  carefully  as  you  will,  such  loss  must 
needs  happen — but  the  first  fire  of  zeal  begins  to  burn 
low."  To  such  purpose  the  King  spoke  to  his  coun- 
sellors, nor  could  they  gainsay  his  words.  Yet  they  had 
to  urge  on  the  other  part  reasons  so  weighty  that  they 
could  not  be  resisted. 

The  truth  is  that  there  could  not  have  been  chosen 
a  worse  time  for  the  waging  of  war  in  Egypt  than  that  at 
which  the  King  arrived.  Whereas  other  rivers  overflow 
their  banks  in  the  winter  season,  the  Nile  overflows 
his  in  summer,  and  this  he  does  because  his  stream  is 
swollen,  not  by  rains  that  fall  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  for 
such  rains  are  more  scanty  than  in  any  other  country  of 
the  world,  but  by  those  that  fall  in  countries  far  inland 
and,  haply,  by  the  melting  of  snows.  So  it  is  that  in 
that  part  of  Egypt  which  is  nearest  to  the  sea  the  river 
begins  to  rise  in  the  month  of  June,  and  for  a  quarter  of 
a  year  or  so  thereafter  an  army  must  rest  perforce.  The 
King  was  very  ill  served  in  his  ministers  when  he  was 
suffered  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  these  things.  Never- 
theless, the  case  being  so,  he  had  no  choice  but  to  accept 


Saint  Louis  211 

the  counsel  of  delay.  It  was  agreed,  therefore,  that  the 
army  should  tarry  in  Damietta  till  the  floods  of  the  river 
should  have  ceased. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  December  the  King 
set  out  for  Cairo  with  his  army.  Now  the  Sultan  had 
sent  five  hundred  of  his  knights,  the  bravest  warriors 
and  the  best  mounted  that  he  could  find  in  his  whole 
army,  to  the  end  that  they  should  harass  the  King's  army 
as  much  as  might  be.  Now  the  King  being  very  careful 
of  the  lives  of  his  men,  as  knowing  that  a  soldier  lost 
could  not  be  replaced,  had  given  a  strict  commandment 
that  no  one  should  presume  to  leave  the  line  of  march  and 
charge  the  enemy.  When  the  Turks  saw  this,  or,  haply, 
had  learnt  from  their  spies  that  the  King  had  given  this 
commandment,  they  grew  bolder  and  bolder,  till  one  of 
them,  riding  up  to  the  line,  overthrew  one  of  the  Knights 
Templar.  This  was  done  under  the  very  eyes  of  the 
Master  of  the  Temple,  who,  when  he  saw  it,  could  no 
longer  endure  to  be  quiet.  So  he  cried  to  his  brethren, 
*' At  them,  good  sirs,  for  this  is  more  than  can  be  borne." 
So  he  spurred  his  horse,  and  the  other  Templars  with  him, 
and  charged  the  Turks.  And  because  their  horses  were 
fresh  and  the  horses  of  the  Turks  weary,  they  bore  them 
down.  It  was  said  that  not  one  of  the  five  hundred  es- 
caped, many  being  ridden  down,  and  the  rest  being 
drowned  in  the  river. 

After  this  the  King  encamped  between  the  two  branches 
of  the  Nile,  that  which  flows  by  Damietta  and  that  which 
is  the  next  to  it  toward  the  sunsetting.  On  the  other 
side  of  this  branch  was  ranged  the  army  of  the  Sultan,  to 
hinder  the  Christians  from  passing,  an  easy  thing  seeing 
that  there  was  no  ford,  nor  any  place  where  a  man  might 
cross  save  by  swimming. 


212  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

While  they  were  in  this  strait  there  came  a  Bedouin 
to  the  camp,  who  said  that  for  five  hundred  pieces  of 
gold  he  would  show  them  a  good  ford.  When  the  Con- 
stable Imbert,  to  whom  the  Bedouin  had  spoken  of  this 
ford,  told  the  matter  to  the  King,  the  King  said,  '*I  will 
give  the  gold  right  willingly;  only  be  sure  that  the  man 
perform  his  part  of  the  bargain."  So  the  constable 
parleyed  with  the  man;  but  the  Bedouin  would  not 
depart  from  his  purpose.  **Give  me  the  gold,"  said 
he,  ''and  I  will  show  you  the  ford."  And  because 
the  King  was  in  a  strait,  he  consented;  so  the  man 
received  the  five  hundred  pieces,  and  he  showed  the  ford 
to  certain  that  were  sent  with  him. 

It  was  agreed  that  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  other 
nobles  who  were  not  of  France  should  keep  guard  in  the 
camp,  and  that  the  King  with  his  brothers  should  ford 
the  river  at  the  place  which  the  Arab  should  show.  So, 
all  being  ready,  at  daybreak  they  came  down  to  the  water. 
A  ford  there  was,  but  not  such  as  a  man  would  choose 
save  in  the  greatest  need. 

The  King,  having  with  him  the  main  body  of  the  army, 
crossed  amidst  a  great  sounding  of  horns  and  trumpets. 
It  was  a  noble  sight  to  see,  and  nothing  in  it  nobler  and 
more  admirable  than  the  King  himself.  A  fairer  knight 
there  never  was,  and  he  stood  with  a  gilded  helmet  on 
his  head,  and  a  long  German  sword  in  his  hand,  being  by 
his  head  and  shoulders  taller  than  the  crowd.  Then  he 
and  his  knights  charged  the  Saracens,  who  by  this  time 
had  taken  a  stand  again  on  the  river  bank.  It  was  a 
great  feat  of  arms.  No  man  drew  long-bow  that  day 
or  plied  cross-bow.  The  Crusaders  and  the  Saracens 
fought  with  mace  and  sword,  neither  keeping  their  ranks, 
but  all  being  confused  together. 


Saint  Louis 


213 


But  the  Crusaders,  for  all  their  valour,  could  scarce 
hold  their  own,  because  the  enemy  outnumbered  them 
by  much.  Also  there  was  a  division  of  counsel  among 
them.  Also  there  came  a  messenger  from  them  that 
were  shut  up  in  Mansoura,  telling  the  King  how  hard 
pressed  they  were,  and  in  what  instant  need  of  suc- 
cour. 

And  now  the  Sacarens  grew  more  and  more  confident, 
for  they  were  greatly  the  better  in  numbers ;  and  if,  man 
for  man  and  in  the  matter  of  arms  and  armour,  they  were 
scarce  equal  to  the  Crusaders,  yet  the  difference  was  not 
so  great.  They  pushed  on,  therefore,  and  drove  the 
Christians  back  to  the  river.  These  were  very  hard 
pressed,  and  some  w^re  for  swimming  across  the  river  to 
the  camp,  but  by  this  time  their  horses  were  weary,  and 
not  a  few  perished  by  drowning. 

Nevertheless  as  time  passed  the  Crusaders  fared  some- 
what better,  for  they  drew  more  together,  and  the  enemy, 
seeing  that  they  still  held  their  ground,  and  being  them- 
selves not  a  little  weary,  drew  back.  In  the  end  the 
King  and  such  of  the  chiefs  as  were  left  got  back  into 
the  camp.  Right  glad  they  were  to  rest,  for  the  battle 
had  been  long  and  fierce. 

But  they  had  but  little  peace,  for  that  very  night  the 
Saracens  made  an  attack  upon  the  camp.  A  great  dis- 
turbance they  made,  and  most  unwelcome  to  men  w^ho 
had  been  fighting  all  the  day.  But  they  did  not  work 
much  harm.  Many  valiant  deeds  were  done  by  the 
Christians. 

But  the  Saracens  were  making  ready  for  attacking 
the  camp  with  more  force  than  before.  And  their  leader 
could  be  seen  from  the  camp,  taking  account  of  the 
Crusaders,  and  strengthening  his  battalions  where  he 


214  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

thought  that  the  King's  camp  might  be  most  conveniently 
assailed. 

The  first  attack  was  made  on  the  Count  of  Anjou. 
He  held  that  part  of  the  camp  that  was  nearest  to  the 
city  of  Cairo.  Some  of  the  enemy  were  on  horseback 
and  some  on  foot ;  there  were  some  also  that  threw  Greek 
fire  among  the  count's  men.  Between  them  they  pressed 
the  count  so  sorely  that  he  was  fain  to  send  to  the  King 
for  help.  This  the  King  gave  without  loss  of  time;  he 
led  the  men  himself,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they 
chased  the  Saracens  from  this  part  of  the  field. 

When  the  battle  was  over  the  King  called  the  barons 
to  his  tent,  and  thanked  them  for  all  that  they  had  done, 
and  gave  them  great  encouragement,  saying  that  as  they 
had  driven  back  the  Saracens  over  and  again,  it  would, 
beyond  doubt,  go  well  with  them  in  the  end. 

And  now  the  army  was  sore  distressed  for  want  both 
of  food  and  of  water.  In  Damietta,  indeed,  there  were 
yet  stores  of  barley,  rice,  and  other  grains;  but  in  the 
camp  scarce  anything  that  could  be  eaten.  Some  small 
fishes  were  caught  in  the  river;  but  these  were  very  ill 
savoured,  and  all  the  more  so — so,  at  least,  it  seemed 
to  such  as  eat  them  under  constraint  of  hunger — because 
they  fed  on  dead  bodies,  of  which  many  were  thrown  into 
the  river.  For  a  while  some  portion  of  the  stores  that 
were  in  the  city  were  carried  across  the  river  to  the  camp. 
But  this  the  Saracens  hindered,  for  by  this  time  their 
ships  had  the  mastery  over  the  ships  of  the  Christians. 
They  kept,  therefore,  the  river,  suffering  nothing  to  pass. 
If  anything  was  carried  across,  it  was  but  a  trifle.  Some 
things  the  country  people  brought  into  the  camp,  but 
these  were  not  to  be  purchased  save  for  large  sums  of 
money,  and  money  was  by  this  time  scarce  even  among 


Saint  Louis  215 

the  richer  sort.  And  when  it  was  judged  expedient  that 
the  King's  army  should  cross  the  river  again  and  return 
to  the  camp,  things  were  worse  rather  than  better,  so 
far  as  victuals  were  concerned.  It  was  well  that  the 
army  should  be  brought  together,  both  for  attack  and 
for  defence,  but  with  the  greater  multitude  the  famine 
grew  worse  and  worse. 

After  a  while  there  was  a  treating  for  peace  between 
the  King  and  the  Saracens;  and  for  a  while  it  seemed  as 
if  they  might  come  to  an  agreement,  and  this  not  without 
advantage  to  the  King.  But  the  matter  came  to  naught, 
because  the  Saracens  would  have  the  King  himself  as  a 
hostage  for  the  due  performance  of  the  treaty.  The 
Christians  would  have  given  the  King's  brothers,  and 
these  were  willing  to  go;  but  the  King  they  could  not 
give.  *'It  would  be  better,"  said  one  of  the  bravest 
knights  in  the  army,  and  in  this  matter  he  spake  the  mind 
of  all,  ''that  we  should  all  be  taken  captive  or  slain,  than 
that  we  should  leave  the  King  in  pledge." 

The  King,  seeing  that  the  condition  of  the  army  still 
grew  from  bad  to  worse,  and  that  if  they  tarried  they 
would  all  be  dead  men,  commanded  that  they  should 
make  their  w^ay  into  the  town  of  Damietta.  And  this 
the  army  began  to  do  the  very  next  night.  Now  the 
first  thing  to  be  cared  for  was  the  taking  of  the  sick,  of 
whom  there  was  a  great  multitude,  on  board  the  ships. 
But  while  this  was  being  done,  the  Saracens  entered  the 
camp  on  the  other  side.  When  the  sailors  who  were 
busy  in  embarking  the  sick  saw  this,  they  loosed  the 
■cables  by  which  they  were  moored  to  the  shore,  and 
made  as  if  they  would  fly.  Now  the  King  was  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  there  was  a  galley  in  waiting  for 
him,  whereon,  if  he  had  been  so  minded,  he  might  easily 


2i6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

have  escaped.  Nor  could  he  have  been  blamed  therefor, 
because  he  was  afflicted  with  the  dysentery  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  camp.  But  this  he  would  not  do;  ''Nay," 
he  said,  "I  will  stay  with  my  people."  But  when  there 
was  now  no  hope  of  safety,  one  of  his  officers  took  him, 
mounted  as  he  was  on  a  pony,  to  a  village  hard  by,  defend- 
ing him  all  the  way  from  such  as  chanced  ^o  fall  in  with 
him — but  none  knew  that  he  was  the  King.  When  he 
was  come  to  the  village  they  took  him  into  a  house  that 
there  was,  and  laid  him  down  almost  dead.  A  good 
woman  of  Paris  that  was  there  took  his  head  upon  her 
lap,  and  there  was  no  one  but  thought  that  he  would  die 
before  nightfall.  Then  one  of  the  nobles  coming  in 
asked  the  King  whether  he  should  not  go  to  the  chief  of 
the  Saracens,  and  see  whether  a  treaty  might  not  yet  be 
made  on  such  terms  as  they  would.  The  King  said  yes; 
so  he  went.  Now  there  was  a  company  of  the  Saracens 
round  the  house,  whither  by  this  time  not  a  few  of  the 
Christians  had  assembled.  And  one  of  the  King's 
officers  cried — whether  from  fear  or  with  traitorous  intent 
cannot  be  said — "Sir  knights,  surrender  yourselves! 
The  King  will  have  it  so;  if  you  do  not,  the  King  will 
perish."  So  the  knights  gave  up  their  swords,  and  the 
Saracens  took  them  as  prisoners.  When  the  chief  of  the 
Saracens,  with  whom  the  noble  aforesaid  was  talking, 
saw  them,  he  said,  "There  can  be  no  talk  of  truce  and 
agreement  with  these  men;  they  are  prisoners." 

And  now  the  question  was  not  of  a  treaty  but  a  ransom. 
About  this  there  was  no  little  debate  between  the  Sultan 
and  the  King.  First  the  Sultan  required  that  the  King 
should  surrender  to  him  the  castles  of  the  Knights  Tem- 
<j)lars  and  of  the  Hospitallers  of  St.  John.  "Nay,"  said 
ihe  King,  "that  I  cannot  do,  for  they  are  not  mine  to 


Saint  Louis  217 

give."  This  answer  greatly  provoked  the  Sultan,  and  he 
threatened  to  put  the  King  to  the  torture,  to  which  the 
King  answered  this  only,  that  he  was  a  prisoner  in  their 
hands,  and  that  they  could  do  with  him  as  they  would. 

When  they  saw  that  they  could  not  turn  him  from  his 
purpose  by  threats  or  by  fear,  they  asked  him  how  much 
money  he  was  willing  to  pay  to  the  Sultan  for  his  ransom, 
such  money  being  over  and  above  the  rendering  up  of  the 
town  of  Damietta.  Then  the  King  made  answer:  "If 
the  Sultan  will  take  a  reasonable  sum  in  money  for  ran- 
som, I  will  recommend  it  to  the  Queen  that  she  should 
pay  the  same."  "Nay,"  said  the  envoy  of  the  Sultan, 
"why  do  you  not  say  outright  that  you  will  have  it  so?" 
"Because,"  answered  the  King,  "in  this  matter  it  is  for 
the  Queen  to  say  yea  or  nay.  I  am  a  prisoner,  and  my 
royal  power  is  gone  from  me."  So  it  was  agreed  that  if 
the  Queen  would  pay  a  thousand  thousand  gold  pieces  by 
vv^ay  of  ransom,  the  King  should  go  free.  Said  the  King, 
"Will  the  Sultan  swear  to  this  bargain?"  They  said 
that  he  would.  So  it  was  agreed  that  the  King  should 
pay  for  the  ransom  of  his  army  a  thousand  thousand  gold 
pieces,  and  for  his  own  ransom  the  town  of  Damietta, 
"for,"  said  he,  "a  King  cannot  be  bought  and  sold  for 
money."  When  the  Sultan  heard  this,  he  said,  "On  my 
word,  this  is  a  noble  thing  of  the  Frenchman  that  he 
makes  no  bargaining  concerning  so  great  a  thing.  Tell 
him  that  I  give  him  as  a  free  gift  the  fifth  part  of  the  sum 
which  he  has  covenanted  to  pay." 

All  things  were  now  settled,  and  there  were  but  four 
days  before  the  fulfilling  of  the  treaty,  when  the  King 
should  give  up  Damietta  to  the  Sultan,  and  the  Sultan, 
on  his  part,  should  suffer  the  King  and  his  people  to  go 
free.     But  lo!  there  came  to  pass  that  which  was  like  to 


2i8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

bring  the  whole  matter  to  nothing.  The  emirs  of  the 
Sultan  made  a  conspiracy  against  him.  ''Know  this," 
they  said  one  to  another,  ''that  so  soon  as  he  shall  find 
himself  master  of  Damietta,  he  will  slay  us.  Let  us 
therefore  be  beforehand  with  him."  And  it  was  agreed 
that  this  should  be  done.  First,  when  the  Sultan  was 
going  to  his  chamber  after  a  banquet  which  he  had  given 
to  the  emirs,  one,  who  was,  indeed,  his  sword-bearer, 
dealt  him  a  blow  and  struck  off  his  hand.  But  the  Sultan, 
being  young  and  nimble,  escaped  into  a  strong  tower  that 
was  hard  by  his  chamber,  and  three  of  his  priests  were 
with  him.  The  emirs  called  upon  him  to  give  himself 
up.  **That,"  said  he,  '*I  will  do,  if  you  will  give  me  a 
promise  of  my  life."  "Nay,"  they  answered,  "we  will 
give  you  no  promises.  If  you  surrender  not  of  your  own 
free  will,  then  will  we  compel  you."  Then  they  threw 
Greek  fire  at  the  tower,  and  the  tower,  which  was  built 
of  pine-wood,  caught  fire  on  the  instant.  When  the 
Sultan  saw  this  he  ran  down  with  all  the  speed  that  he 
could,  seeking  to  reach  the  river,  if  so  be  he  could  find  a 
ship.  But  the  emirs  and  their  men  were  ranged  along 
the  way,  nor  was  it  long  before  they  slew  him.  And  he 
that  dealt  him  the  last  blow  came  to  the  King,  his  hand 
yet  dripping  with  blood,  and  said,  "What  will  you  give 
me?  I  have  slain  your  enemy,  who  would  assuredly 
have  done  you  to  death  had  he  lived."  But  the  King 
answered  him  not  a  w^ord. 

Now  the  covenant  between  the  King  and  the  Saracen 
chiefs  was  renewed,  nor  was  any  change  made  in  the 
conditions;  only  the  payment  was  differently  ordered; 
that  is  to  say,  one-half  of  the  ransom  was  to  be  paid  before 
the  King  left  the  place  where  he  was,  and  the  other  half 
in  the  town  of  Acre.     , 


Saint  Louis  219 

Then  the  emirs  on  the  one  part  and  the  King  on  the 
other  took  the  oaths  that  were  held  to  be  the  most  binding 
on  them.  The  King  indeed  held  staunchly  by  his  faith, 
and  when  the  emirs  would  have  had  him  swear  in  a  way 
that  he  thought  to  be  unseemly  to  him  as  a  Christian 
man  he  would  not.  And  the  emirs  paid  him  the  more 
honour  and  reverence  for  this  very  cause.  It  was  said, 
indeed,  that  they  would  have  made  him  Sultan  of  Cairo, 
if  he  had  been  minded  to  receive  that  dignity  at  their 
hands ;  furthermore,  some  that  knew  the  King  affirmed 
that  he  was  not  altogether  set  against  it.  But  none  knew 
for  certain  the  truth  in  the  matter.  Yet  it  was  well 
said  by  one  of  the  emirs,  "There  surely  never  was  better 
or  more  steadfast  Christian  than  this  King  Louis.  Verily 
if  he  had  been  made  our  sultan  he  would  never  have  been 
content  till  he  had  either  made  us  all  Christians,  or, 
failing  this,  had  put  us  all  to  the  sword." 

And  now  there  came  a  time  of  great  peril  to  the  pris- 
oners. First  the  town  of  Damietta  was  given  up  to  the 
Saracens,  the  gates  being  opened  and  their  flag  hoisted 
on  the  towers. 

On  the  next  day  the  paying  of  the  ransom  was  begun. 
When  the  money  was  counted  it  was  found  to  be  short  by 
some  thirty  thousand  pieces.  These  were  taken  from 
the  treasury  of  the  Templars  much  against  their  will,  but 
the  necessities  of  the  prisoners  prevailed. 

As  for  the  King,  there  could  not  have  been  a  man  more 
loyal  in  the  fulfilling  of  his  promise.  When  one  of  those 
that  counted  the  money  said  that  the  Saracens  had 
received  less  than  their  due  by  some  ten  thousand  pieces, 
the  King  would  not  suffer  but  that  the  whole  matter 
should  be  looked  into,  lest  the  Saracens  should  have 
wrong.     The  counter,   indeed,  averred  that  this  thing 


220  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

was  said  in  jest;  but  the  King  answered  that  such  a  jest 
was  out  of  season,  and  that  above  all  things  it  was  neces- 
sary that  a  Christian  should  show  good  faith. 

Not  many  days  after  the  paying  of  the  ransom  the 
King  sent  for  his  chief  counsellors  and  opened  bis  mind 
to  them  in  the  matter  of  his  return  to  France.  He  said, 
"The  Queen,  my  mother,  begs  me  to  come  back  to  France, 
saying  that  my  kingdom  is  in  great  peril  seeing,  that  I 
have  no  peace,  nor  even  a  truce,  with  England.  Tell  me, 
then,  what  you  think.  And  because  it  is  a  great  matter, 
I  give  you  eight  days  to  consider  it." 

After  this  the  King  went  to  Acre,  where  he  tarried 
till  what  was  left  over  of  the  ransom  was  paid. 

On  the  day  appointed  the  counsellors  came  before  the 
King,  who  said  to  them,  ''What  do  you  advise?  Shall 
I  go,  or  shall  I  stay?"  They  said  that  they  had  chosen 
one  from  among  them,  a  certain  Guy  Malvoisin,  to 
speak  for  them.  Thereupon  this  Guy  said,  "These 
lords  have  taken  counsel  together,  and  are  agreed  that 
you  cannot  tarry  in  this  country  without  damage  to  your- 
self and  your  kingdom.  For  think  how  that  of  all  the 
knights  whom  you  had  in  Cyprus,  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  in  number,  there  remain  with  you  here  in  Acre 
scarce  one  hundred.  Our  counsel,  therefore,  is  that  you 
return  to  France,  and  there  gather  another  army,  with 
which  you  may  come  hither  again  and  take  vengeance 
on  your  enemies  for  their  trepasses  against  God  and 
against  you." 

Then  the  King  turned  to  a  certain  John,  who  was 
Count  of  Jaffa,  and  asked  him  for  his  judgment.  Count 
John  answered:  "Ask  me  not,  sire;  my  domain  is  here, 
and  if  I  bid  you  stay,  then  it  will  be  said  that  I  did  this 
for  my  own  profit."     But  when  the  King  was  urgent  for 


Saint  Louis  221 

his  advice  he  said,  ''If  you  stay  for  a  year  it  will  be  for 
your  honour."  And  one  other  of  the  counsellors  gave 
the  same  judgment;  but  all  the  rest  were  urgent  for  the 
King's  return.  Then  the  King  said,  "I  will  tell  you 
eight  days  hence  what  it  is  my  pleasure  to  do." 

On  the  day  appointed  they  all  came  together  again, 
and  the  King  said,  ''I  thank  you,  my  lords,  for  your 
counsel — both  those  who  have  advised  my  going  back 
and  those  who  have  advised  my  staying.  Now  I  hold 
that  if  I  stay,  my  kingdom  of  France  will  be  in  no  peril, 
seeing  that  the  Queen,  my  mother,  is  well  able  to  keep 
it  in  charge;  but  that  if  I  depart,  then  the  kingdom  of 
Jerusalem  will  most  certainly  be  lost,  because  no  man 
will  be  bold  enough  to  stay  after  I  am  gone.  Now,  it 
was  for  the  sake  of  this  same  kingdom  of  Jerusalem  that 
I  have  come  hither.  My  purpose,  therefore,  is  to  stay." 
There  was  no  little  trouble  among  the  barons  when  they 
heard  these  words.  There  were  some  among  them  who 
could  not  hold  back  their  tears.  But  though  the  King 
resolved  himself  to  stay,  yet  he  commanded  his  brothers 
to  depart.     And  this  they  did  before  many  days. 

While  the  King  tarried  at  Acre  there  came  to  him 
messengers  from  the  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain.  One 
of  the  messengers  was  the  spokesman,  and  had  his  place 
in  front;  the  second  had  in  his  hand  three  daggers,  to 
signify  what  danger  threatened  him  who  should  not  listen 
to  the  message;  the  third  carried  a  shroud  of  buckram 
for  him  who  should  be  smitten  with  the  daggers.  The 
King  said  to  the  first  envoy,  "Speak  on."  Then  the 
envoy  said,  ''My  master  says,  'Know  you  me?'  "  The 
King  answered,  "I  know  him  not,  for  I  have  never  seen 
him;  yet  I  have  often  heard  others  talk  of  him."  "Why, 
then,"  went  on  the  envoy,  "have  you  not  sent  him  such 


222  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

gifts  as  would  have  gained  his  friendship,  even  as  the 
Emperor  of  Germany  and  the  King  of  Hungary  and  other 
princes  have  done,  yea,  and  do  now  year  after  year,  know- 
ing well  that  they  cannot  live  save  by  my  lord's  pleasure  ?' 
The  King  made  no  answer,  but  bade  the  envoys  come 
again  in  the  afternoon.  When  they  came  they  found 
the  King  sitting  with  the  Master  of  the  Templars  on  one 
side  and  the  Master  of  the  Hospitallers  on  the  other.  Now 
the  Old  Man  is  in  great  awe  of  these  two,  for  he  knows  that 
if  he  slay  them  there  will  be  put  in  their  place  other  two 
as  good  or  better.  The  envoys  were  not  a  little  dis- 
turbed when  they  saw  the  two.  And  the  Master  of  the 
Templars  said,  "Your  lord  is  over  bold  to  send  you  with 
such  a  message  for  the  King.  Now  be  sure  that  we  would 
have  drowned  you  in  the  sea,  but  that  so  doing  might  be 
a  vnrong  to  him.  Go  now  to  your  lord,  and  come  again 
in  fourteen  days  with  such  a  token  and  such  gifts  as  may 
suffice  for  the  making  of  peace." 

So  the  envoys  departed,  and  came  again  in  the  time 
appointed,  and  they  brought  with  them  the  shirt  of  the 
Old  Man  and  his  ring,  which  was  of  the  finest  gold,  and 
with  these  things  this  message:  "As  man  wears  no  gar- 
ment that  is  nearer  to  him  than  his  shirt,  so  the  Old 
Man  would  have  the  King  nearer  to  him  than  any  other 
King  upon  earth  ;  and  as  a  ring  is  the  sign  of  marriage  by 
which  two  are  made  one,  so  the  Old  Man  would  have 
himself  and  the  King  to  be  one."  Other  gifts  there 
were,  an  elephant  of  crystal,  very  cunningly  wrought, 
and  a  monster  which  they  call  a  giraffe,  also  of  crystal, 
and  draughts  and  chessmen,  all  finely  made.  The 
King,  on  his  part,  sent  to  the  Old  Man  a  great  store  of 
jewels,  and  scarlet  cloth,  and  dishes  of  gold  and  bridles 
of  silver. 


Saint  Louis  223 

While  the  King  was  at  Jafifa  it  was  told  him  that  if 
he  desired  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  the  Sultan 
of  Damascus  would  give  him  a  safe-conduct.  The 
King  consulted  his  nobles  on  the  matter,  and  both  he 
and  they  were  of  one  mind  in  the  matter,  to  wit,  that  he 
should  not  go.  ''For,"  said  they,  "if  the  King  should 
go  as  a  pilgrim,  when  he  has  not  been  able  to  take  the 
Holy  City  itself  out  of  the  hands  of  the  infidel,  then  will 
other  Kings  in  time  to  come  do  the  same.  They  will  be 
content  to  go  as  pilgrims,  but  will  take  no  thought  as  to 
the  city,  whether  it  be  held  by  Christian  or  infidel. " 

After  these  things  the  King  went  to  the  city  of  Sidon 
and  fortified  it  with  strong  walls,  for  he  was  greatly  un- 
willing to  give  up  his  hope  of  winning  the  whole  land  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  infidel.  But  when  he  had  brought 
this  work  to  an  end,  there  came  news  to  him  from  his 
own  country  that  the  Queen  his  mother,  who  was  charged 
with  the  government  thereof,  was  dead.  Then  he  took 
counsel  with  his  nobles  what  he  should  do,  and  it  seemed 
to  them  that  he  must  of  necessity  return  to  France. 
One  among  them  put  the  case  before  the  King  as  follows: 

"Sire,  we  see  that  it  will  not  profit  the  kingdom  of 
Jerusalem  that  you  tarry  longer  here.  You  have  done 
what  was  in  your  power.  You  have  fortified  the  city 
of  Sidon,  and  Cicsarea,  and  Jaffa,  and  you  have  made 
the  city  of  Acre  much  stronger  than  it  was.  And  now 
for  your  own  kingdom's  sake,  you  must  needs  depart. " 
And  to  this  the  King  gave  his  consent,  though  with  an 
unwilling  heart.  So  he  departed,  and  this,  as  it  chanced, 
on  his  birthday.  As  the  ship  went  forth  from  the  harbour 
he  said  to  the  Lord  of  Joinville,  who  stood  by  him, 
"On  this  day  I  was  born."  And  the  Lord  of  Joinville 
said  to  him,  "  Truly,  sire,  I  should  say  that  you  are  begin- 


224  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ning  another  life,  now  that  you  are  safely  quit  of  this 
land  of  death. " 

Some  seventeen  years  after  the  things  last  recorded, 
I  took  a  journey  to  the  Island  of  Sardinia,  and  made  my 
abode  at  a  town  on  the  west  coast,  called  Neapolis. 
When  I  had  sojourned  there  two  months  there  came  in 
sight  on  a  certain  day  a  great  fleet  of  ships,  which  those 
who  were  acquainted  with  such  things  declared  to  be 
from  the  land  of  France.  As  for  the  crowd  that  came 
ashore  that  day,  it  were  best  to  say  little.  It  is  more  to 
the  purpose  to  say  that  I  met  with  one  whom  I  knew, 
having  consorted  with  him  in  time  past,  and  this  the  more 
constantly  because  he  followed  the  same  occupation  as 
I.  I  asked  him,  ''How  came  you  hither?  If  you  are 
bound  for  Palestine,  this  is  but  a  short  stage  in  your 
journey."  He  answered  me  with  something  of  a  smile 
in  his  eye,  though  his  mouth  was  set,  ''Where  could  we 
more  conveniently  halt  than  here,  for  we  are  bound  for 
Tunis?"  "For  Tunis?"  said  I;  "but  how  shall  this 
help  you  for  the  taking  of  Jerusalem?"  "That,"  said 
he,  "you  must  ask  of  some  one  that  has  more  wisdom 
than  I.  But  this  I  know  that  the  King  was  told,  by  whom 
I  know  not,  that  the  Bey  of  Tunis  desired  to  be  baptised. 
This,  then,  is  cause  sufficient  for  him.  Are  you  minded 
to  come  with  me?  If  so,  I  can  find  you  a  place  m  the 
King's  ship,  for  it  is  in  it  that  I  sail. " 

When  I  heard  that,  I  consented  without  delay.  So 
that  night  I  gave  my  friend  the  shelter  of  my  lodging; 
and  the  next  day  he  took  me  with  him,  and  commended 
me  to  one  of  the  chief  officers  of  the  ship,  bearing  witness 
to  my  skill  as  a  physician.  On  the  fourth  day  we  sailed, 
and  came  in  two  days,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  north, 
to  the  harbour  of  Tunis.     As  for  the  King,  I  saw  him 


Saint  Louis  225 

but  once.  His  valets  carried  him  up  on  the  deck;  and, 
to  tell  the  truth,  he  looked  as  little  fit  for  doing  feats  of 
arms  as  man  could  look.  But  I  thought  that  the  sickness 
which  takes  many  men  upon  the  sea  might  be  the  cause. 

Scarce  had  the  army  landed  than  there  began  a  most 
grievous  sickness.  In  truth  the  place  for  the  camp 
had  been  ill  chosen,  for  there  was  a  little  stream  into 
which  much  of  the  filth  of  the  city  was  wont  to  run. 
From  this  there  came  a  most  evil  smell.  Many  also, 
for  want  of  good  water,  would  drink  of  the  stream, 
than  which  there  could  be  no  more  deadly  thing. 

On  the  very  day  after  he  landed  from  his  ship  the  King 
fell  sick.  His  physician  being  disabled  by  the  same 
malady,  I  was  called  in  to  the  King's  help;  and  from  the 
first  I  saw  that,  save  by  a  miracle,  he  could  not  live.  On 
the  fourth  day  he  died,  making  as  good  and  devout  an  end 
as  any  that  I  have  ever  seen.  He  would  know  the  truth, 
for  he  was  not  one  of  those  who  buoy  themselves  up  with 
false  hopes.  And  when  he  knew  it,  then  first  with  the 
help  of  the  priests  that  attended  him  he  prepared  his 
soul,  and  afterward  he  gave  what  time  remained  to 
teaching  the  son  who  should  be  King  after  him  how  he 
should  best  do  his  duty  to  God  and  man. 

I  heard  much  from  him  who  had  put  it  in  my  mind 
to  come  from  the  island  of  Sardinia  concerning  King 
Louis.  Never,  he  told  me,  was  a  King  more  bent  on 
doing  justice  and  judgment.  These  he  maintained  with 
his  whole  heart  and  strength,  not  having  any  respect  of 
persons,  or  having  regard  to  his  own  profit.  Though  he 
held  bishops  and  priests  in  great  reverence,  being  most 
careful  of  all  the  offices  of  religion,  yet  he  would  withstand 
even  these  when  they  seemed  to  seek  that  which  was  not 
fair  and  just.    He  was  a  lover  of  peace  far  beyond  the 


226  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

wont  of  Kings,  who  indeed,  for  the  most  part,  care  but 
little  for  it,  so  that  men  say  in  a  proverb,  "War  is  the 
game  of  Kings. "  Of  the  poor  he  was  a  great  and  con- 
stant favourer.  Every  day  he  had  a  multitude  of  them 
fed  at  his  cost  in  his  palace,  and  sometimes  he  would  serve 
himself,  and  it  was  his  custom  on  a  certain  day  to  wash 
the  feet  of  poor  men.  In  his  eating  and  drinking  he  was 
as  temperate  as  man  could  be,  drinking,  for  example, 
but  one  cup  of  wine,  and  that  largely  mingled  with  water. 
In  all  things  wherein  great  men  ofttimes  offend  he  was 
wholly  blameless  and  beyond  reproach.  Of  all  men  that 
I  had  any  knowledge  of,  whether  by  sight  or  by  hearing, 
in  this  business  of  the  Crusades  there  was  not  one  who 
could  be  so  much  as  named  in  comparison  with  King 
Louis.  To  King  Louis  religion  was  as  life  itself.  It 
filled,  as  it  were,  his  whole  soul;  he  judged  of  all  things 
by  it;  he  hungered  and  thirsted  after  it.  And  yet  of  all 
who  bore  the  cross  this  man,  being,  as  he  was,  so  much  the 
most  faithful  to  his  vow,  by  far  the  truest  cross-bearer 
of  all,  yet  failed  the  most  utterly.  Of  such  things  I  have 
not  the  wit  to  judge;  yet  this,  raethinks,  is  manifest, 
that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  set  forward  by  the  power 
of  armies.  I  do  believe  that  if  King  Louis,  being  what 
he  was,  a  man  after  God's  own  heart,  had  come,  not 
with  the  sword,  but  preaching  the  truth  by  his  life,  he 
had  done  more  for  the  cause  that  he  had  at  heart.  As  it 
was,  he  furthered  it  not  at  all,  so  far  as  I  can  discern,  but 
rather  set  it  back.  That  he  did  not  gain  for  Christendom 
so  much  as  a  single  foot  of  earth  is  not  so  much  to  be 
lamented,  as  that  he  made  wider  the  breach  between 
Christian  men  and  the  followers  of  Mahomet.  And  this 
he  did,  though  he  was  in  very  truth  the  most  Christlike 
of  all  the  men  that  I  have  ever  seen. 


CHAPTER  XV 

WILLIAM  TELL 

WILLIAM  TELL  was  born  toward  the  close 
of  the  thirteenth  century.  I  cannot  tell  you 
the  precise  year  of  his  birth;  but  in  the  year  1307  he 
was  a  married  man,  and  lived  with  his  wife  and  children, 
in  the  village  of  Biirglen,  near  the  great  town  of  Altdorf, 
in  the  canton  of  Uri. 

Tell  maintained  his  family  chiefly  by  hunting  the 
chamois,  and  shooting  other  wild  game.  So  skilful  was 
he  in  the  use  of  the  bow,  that  the  fame  of  his  exploits  in 
that  way  had  obtained  for  him  the  name  of  *  'The  Crossbow- 
man  of  Biirglen."  He  was  also  very  skilful  in  the  man- 
agement of  boats  upon  the  lakes.  His  father  had  fol- 
lowed the  profession  of  a  pilot,  and  William  Tell,  though 
he  preferred  the  life  of  a  hunter,  understood  the  navi- 
gation of  the  lakes  better  than  almost  any  boatman  in  the 
canton  of  Uri.  It  was  a  saying,  "That  William  Tell 
knew  how  to  handle  the  rudder  as  expertly  as  the  bow." 
In  short,  he  was  a  person  of  strong  natural  talents,  who 
observed  on  everything  he  saw,  and  acquired  all  the 
knowledge  he  could. 

Switzerland  was  at  that  time  in  a  state  of  slavery  to 
Albert,  Duke  of  Austria,  who  had  recently  been  selected 
Emperor  of  Germany.  He  had  taken  great  offence 
with  the  Swiss,  because  they  wished  Count  Adolph  of 
Nassau  to  be  elected  Emperor  of  Germany  instead  of 
him.     The  first  use  he  made  of  his  power  was  to  punish 


228  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  Swiss  for  having  favoured  the  cause  of  his  rival;  and 
he  v/as  so  unwise  as  to  declare  publicly,  ''that  he  would 
no  longer  treat  them  as  subjects,  but  as  slaves  "  In 
pursuance  of  this  wicked  resolution  he  deprived  them 
of  many  of  their  rights  and  privileges,  and  altered  their 
ancient  laws  and  customs. 

By  these  proceedings  the  Emperor  rendered  his  gov- 
ernment very  unpopular,  and  when  he  found  that  the 
people  expressed  dissatisfaction,  he  built  castles  and 
fortresses  all  over  the  country,  and  filled  them  with  soldiers 
to  awe  the  people  into  submission.  In  each  of  these 
fortresses  he  placed  a  governor,  who  exercised  despotic 
power  in  the  district  over  which  his  sway  extended.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  canton  Uri,  in  particular,  had  to  com- 
plain of  the  oppression  of  their  German  governor,  Gessler, 
who  had  committed  several  murders,  and  acted  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  excite  general  indignation,  by  his  pride, 
cruelty,  and  injustice.  The  whole  country  was  indeed 
ripe  for  a  revolt,  in  case  an  opportunity  should  occur  of 
throwing  off  the  German  yoke. 

One  cold  autumnal  evening,  the  blaze  of  the  cheerful 
'fire  which  the  wife  of  William  Tell  had  kindled  on  the 
hearth,  against  her  husband's  return,  gleamed  through 
the  rude  latticed  casements  of  their  cottage  window. 
The  earthern  floor  of  the  humble  dwelling  had  been 
freshly  swept;  a  clean  cloth  of  the  matron's  own 
spinning,  was  spread  on  the  homely  board,  which  was 
garnished  with  wooden  bowls  and  spoons  of  the  most 
snowy  whiteness;  and  a  kettle  of  fish-soup,  with  herbs, 
was  stewing  over  the  fire.  Some  flat  oaten  cakes,  de- 
signed to  be  eaten  hot  with  butter,  were  baking  on  the 
hearth. 

The  babe  was  sleeping  peacefully  in  the  cradle;   two 


William  Tell  229 

or  three  of  the  other  little  ones,  weary  with  their  sportive 
play,  had  been  laid  in  their  cribs.  Henric  and  Lewis, 
two  lovely  boys  of  five  and  six  years  old,  having  promised 
to  be  very  good,  if  allowed  to  sit  up  till  their  father's 
return,  were  watching  their  mother,  who  was  employed 
in  roasting  a  fine  fat  quail  which  their  cousin,  Lalotte, 
who  had  arrived  at  the  discreet  age  of  fourteen,  was 
basting,  and  spinning  the  string  by  which  it  was  sus- 
pended before  the  fire. 

"Mother,"  said  Henric,  "if  my  father  does  not  come 
home  very  soon,  that  quail  will  be  done  too  much." 

"What  then?"  asked  Lalotte. 

"I  was  thinking,  cousin  Lalotte,  that  it  would  be  a 
pity  for  it  to  be  spoiled,  after  you  and  mother  have  taken 
so  much  pains  in  cooking  it;  and  it  smells  so  very  good." 

"Oh,  fie!  you  greedy  child;  you  want  to  eat  the  bird 
that  is  cooking  for  your  father's  supper,"  said  Lalotte. 
"If  I  were  my  aunt,  I  would  send  you  to  bed  only  for 
thinking  of  such  a  thing." 

"You  are  not  the  mistress — you  are  not  the  mistress!" 
cried  the  sturdy  rebel  Henric;  "and  I  shall  not  go  to  bed 
at  your  desire." 

"But  you  shall  go  to  bed,  young  sir,  if  your  cousin 
Lalotte  tells  you  so  to  do, "  said  his  father,  who  had  entered 
during  the  dispute. 

"Alack!"  cried  Henric  turning  to  his  little  brother, 
"if  we  had  only  been  patient,  Lewis,  we  should  have 
tasted  the  nice  quail,  and  heard  all  our  father's  news  into 
the  bargain." 

"There  now,  see  what  you  have  lost  by  being  naughty 
children,"  cried  Lalotte,  as  she  led  the  offenders  into 
their  little  bedroom. 

"Thy  father's  news  is  not  for  thy  young  ears,  my  boys," 


230  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

murmured  William  Tell,   as  the  door  closed  after  the 
unconscious  children. 

"There  is  a  sadness  in  thy  voice  and  trouble  on  thy 
brow,"  said  the  anxious  wife  of  Tell,  looking  earnestly 
in  his  face.  ''Wilt  thou  not  trust  me  with  the  cause  of 
thy  care?" 

"Annette,"  replied  Tell,  "thou  hast  been  a  good  and 
faithful  wife  to  me — yea,  and  a  prudent  counsellor  and 
friend  in  the  time  of  need.     Why,  then,  should  I  do  a 
thing  and  conceal  it  from  thee,  my  well-beloved?" 
"What  is  it  thou  hast  done,  my  husband?" 
"That  for  which  thou  wilt  blame  me,  perchance." 
" Nay,  say  not  so;  thou  art  a  good  man." 
"Thou   knowest,  my  loving    wife,   the  sad  state  of 
slavery  to  which  this  unhappy  country  of  Switzerland 
is  reduced  by  the  unlawful  oppression  of  our  foreign 
rulers,"  said  Tell. 

"I  do,"  she  replied;  "but  what  have  peasants  to  do 
with  matters  so  much  above  them?" 

"Much!"  returned  Tell.  "If  the  good  laws  made  by 
the  worthies  of  the  olden  time,  for  the  comfort  and  pro- 
tection of  all  ranks  of  people,  be  set  at  naught  by  strangers, 
and  all  the  ancient  institutions,  which  were  the  pride  and 
the  glory  of  our  land,  be  overthrown,  by  those  to  whom 
we  owe  neither  the  love  of  children,  nor  the  allegiance  of 
subjects,  then,  methinks,  good  wife,  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  peasants  to  stand  forth  in  defence  of  their  rights.  I 
have  engaged  myself,  with  three-and-thirty  of  my  valiant 
countrymen,  who  met  this  night  on  the  little  promontory 
of  land  that  juts  into  a  lonely  angle  of  the  Lake,  to  con- 
cert with  them  means  for  the  deliverance  of  my  coun- 
try." 
"But  how  can  three-and-thirty  men  hope  to   oppose 


William  Tell 


^3^ 


the  power  of  those  who  enthral  Switzerland  ?"  asked  the 
wife  of  Tell. 

"  Great  objects  are  often  effected  by  small  instruments," 
replied  he.  **The  whole  population  of  Switzerland  is 
exasperated  against  the  German  tyrants,  who  have  of 
late  abused  their  power  so  far  as  to  rouse  the  indignation 
even  of  women  and  of  children  against  them.  The 
father  of  Arnold  Melchthal,  one  of  the  'Brothers  of 
Riitli,'  as  our  band  is  called,  was  recently  put  to  a  cruel 
death  by  the  unjust  sentence  of  Gessler,  the  governor 
of  our  own  canton  of  Uri ;  and  who  knoweth,  gentle  wife, 
whether  his  jealous  caprice  may  not  induce  him  to 
single  me  out  for  his  next  victim?" 

"Single  thee  out,  my  husband!"  exclaimed  Annette 
turning  pale.  "Nay,  what  accusation  could  he  bring 
against  thee  ?" 

"That  of  being  the  friend  of  my  country,  which  is,  of 
course,  a  crime  not  to  be  forgiven  by  a  person  of  Gessler 's 
disposition." 

"But  Gessler  is  too  much  exalted  above  our  humble 
sphere  of  life,  to  be  aware  of  a  peasant's  sentiments  on 
such  matters,"  said  Annette. 

"Gessler  will  not  permit  us  to  indulge  the  thoughts  of 
our  hearts  in  secret,"  said  Tell;  "for  he  hath  recently 
devised  a  shrewd  test,  whereby  he  is  enabled  to  discern 
the  freeman  from  the  slave  throughout  this  province." 

"And  what  is  the  test  which  the  governor  of  Uri  em- 
ploy eth  for  that  purpose  ?" 

"  Thou  hast  heard  our  good  pastor  read  in  the  Scrip- 
ture of  the  prophet  Daniel,  of  the  golden  image,  which 
the  tyrant  Nebuchadnezzar  caused  to  be  erected. 
He  made  a  decree  that  all  nations  and  people  of  the  world 
should  bow  down  and  worship  it,  and  that  those  who 


232  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

refused  to  do  so  should  be  cast  into  a  burning  fiery  fur- 
nace.    Rememberest  thou  this,  my  beloved?" 

"Certainly,"  Annette  replied.  "But  what  hath  Ges- 
sler  to  do  with  that  presumptuous  folly  of  the  King  of 
Babylon?" 

"Gessler,"  replied  Tell,  "imitates  the  presumption, 
albeit  it  is  not  in  his  power  to  rival  the  grandeur,  of 
Nebuchadnezzar;  for  he  hath  set  up  an  idol  in  the 
market-place  of  Altdorf,  to  which  he  requireth  blind 
homage  to  be  paid  by  fools  and  cowards.  Now,  the 
King  of  Babylon's  idol,  the  prophet  tells  us,  was  of 
solid  gold,  a  metal  which  the  world  is,  I  grieve  to  say, 
too  prone  to  worship;  but  Gessler's  paltry  Baal  is  but  the 
empty  ducal  bonnet  of  Austria,  w^hich  he  hath  exalted  on 
a  pole ;  and  he  commands  the  men  of  Uri  to  bow  down 
before  it,  under  penalty  of  death.  Wouldst  thou  wish 
thy  husband  to  degrade  the  name  of  a  Swiss,  by  stooping 
to  such  an  action?" 

"No,"  she  replied,  "I  should  blush  for  thee,  if  thou 
wert  capable  of  such  baseness." 

"Thou  hast  spoken  like  a  free  woman,"  he  exclaimed. 
"Yea,  and  thou  shalt  be  the  mother  of  free  children:  for 
the  first  time  I  go  to  Altdorf  I  will  resist  the  edict,  which 
enjoins  me  and  my  countrymen  to  pay  homage  to  the 
senseless  bauble  which  the  German  governor  hath  ex- 
alted in  the  market-place." 

"  But  why  go  to  Altdorf  at  all,  my  husband  ?"  said  the 
wife  to  Tell. 

"My  business  calls  me  to  Altdorf,  and  I  shall  go  thither 
like  an  honest  man,  in  the  performance  of  my  duty," 
replied  Tell.  "Thinkest  thou  that  I  am  either  to  con- 
fess myself  a  slave,  by  bending  my  body  to  an  empty  cap, 
or  to  permit  it  to  be  a  scarecrow,  that  shall  fright  me  from 


William  Tell  233 

entering  the  capital  city  of  my  native  province,  lest  I 
should  draw  upon  myself  the  penalty  of  refusing  to  per- 
form a  contemptible  action,  enjoined  by  a  wicked  man? 
No,  no,  my  sweet  wife;  I  shall  go  to  Altdorf,  when  oc- 
casion may  require,  without  considering  myself  bound 
to  observe  Gessler's  foolish  edict." 

The  return  of  Lalotte  put  an  end  to  this  discourse; 
and  Annette  began  to  assist  her  in  taking  up  the  supper. 

Lalotte  was  the  orphan  of  Tell's  brother.  Her  par- 
ents had  both  died  when  she  and  her  brother  Philip  were 
very  young,  and  they  had  been  adopted  into  the  family 
of  her  kind  uncle  soon  after  his  marriage  with  Annette. 
Lalotte  was  affectionate,  sprightly,  and  industrious. 
She  assisted  her  aunt  in  the  houshold  work  and  the  dairy; 
and  it  was  her  business  to  take  charge  of  the  children, 
whom  she  carefully  instructed  in  such  things  as  she  knew, 
and  laboured  to  render  them  virtuous  and  obedient. 

Philip,  her  brother,  who  was  about  a  year  older  than 
herself,  had  been  unfortunately  a  spoiled  child.  He  was 
self-willed  and  intractable,  and,  though  far  from  a  bad 
disposition,  was  always  getting  himself  and  others  into 
scrapes  and  difficulties. 

That  night  his  place  at  the  board  was  vacant,  which 
his  uncle  observing,  said, 

"Lalotte,  where  is  your  brother  Philip?" 

"Absent,  uncle,  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  replied  Lalotte. 

"It  is  not  usual  for  Philip  to  desert  the  supper  meal," 
observed  Tell,  "even  if  he  be  absent  the  rest  of  the  day. 
I  am  afraid  he  is  after  no  good." 

A  hasty  step  was  heard;  and  Lalotte  exclaimed,  "I 
should  not  wonder  if  that  were  my  scrapegrace  brother!" 

"It  does  not  sound  well  of  you  to  call  him  so,  Lalotte, 
though  he  is  a  sad  plague  to  us  all,"  said  Tell. 


234  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  door  was  hastily  opened,  and  Philip  bounced  in 
out  of  breath,  and  covered  with  mud.  He  flung  himself 
on  a  wooden  settle  beside  the  fire,  and  gave  way  to  fits  of 
laughter. 

"How  now^,  Philip!  what  is  the  cause  of  all  this?" 
asked  Tell  gravely. 

"Hurrah!"  shouted  he,  springing  from  his  seat,  and 
capering  about,  "I  have  done  such  a  deed!" 

"Some  notable  piece  of  folly,  no  doubt,"  observed  his 
uncle;  "what  is  it,  boy?" 

"A  deed  that  will  render  my  name  famous  throughout 
the  whole  province  of  Uri,  my  good  uncle.  Everybody 
is  talking  about  it  in  Altdorf  at  this  very  moment,"  ex- 
claimed Phihp,  rubbing  his  hands. 

"You  have  long  been  celebrated  there  as  the  ringleader 
of  mischief,"  observed  Tell;  "but  I  doubt  whether  you 
will  have  much  reason  to  exult  in  the  evil  reputation  you 
have  acquired,  Philip.  Therefore  go  to  bed,  and  when 
you  say  your  prayers,  ask  for  grace  to  reform  your  evil 
habits." 

"My  good  uncle,"  replied  Philip,  "be  content.  This 
night  I  have  turned  patriot,  raised  a  rabble  of  boys,  and 
peked  down  the  fool's  cap  which  old  Gessler  had  stuck 
up  in  the  market-place  of  Altdorf,  for  Switzers  to  pay 
homage  to.     Is  not  that  a  glorious  deed !" 

"  It  is  of  a  piece  with  the  rest  of  your  folly.  Were  you 
called  upon  to  pay  homage  to  the  cap  ?" 

"By  no  means,  uncle,  else  must  I  perforce  have  made 
my  obeisance  to  the  empty  bonnet  of  the  Emperor-Duke 
of  Austria.  But  this  exploit  of  mine  was  after  dark, 
when  one  boy  could  not  be  distinguished  from  another; 
and  there  were  fully  fifty  of  us  engaged  in  pelting  at  the 
mock  majesty  till  down  it  came,  feathers  and  all,  souse 


Willmm  Tell  235 

into  the  mud.  Then,  oh  stars!  how  we  all  ran!  But  it 
was  my  stone  that  hit  it,  take  notice:  ha!  ha!  ha!" 

"Your  head  must  be  as  devoid  of  brains  as  the  empty 
cap  you  pelted,  Philip,  or  you  never  would  have  engaged 
in  any  such  adventure." 

"How,  uncle!"  cried  Philip  in  amaze;  "  would  you  have 
me  pay  homage  to  the  ducal  bonnet  without  a  head  in  it  ?" 

"It  seems  you  were  not  required  to  do  so,  Philip; 
therefore  you  had  no  pretext  for  raising  a  riot  to  break 
the  peace." 

"But,  uncle,  do  you  intend  to  yield  obedience  to  the 
governor's  tyrannous  edict?" 

"Philip,"  replied  Tell,  "I  am  a  man,  and  of  age  to 
form  a  correct  judgment  of  the  things  which  it  may  be 
expedient  to  do  or  proper  to  refuse.  But  it  is  not  meet 
for  idle  boys  to  breed  riots  and  commit  acts  of  open 
violence,  calculated  to  plunge  a  whole  country  into 
confusion. " 

Philip  withdrew  with  an  air  of  great  mortification  and 
the  family  soon  after  retired  to  rest. 

The  next  day  William  Tell  took  his  thoughtless  nephew 
with  him,  on  a  hunting  excursion,  since  it  was  necessary 
he  should  find  some  better  occupation  than  throwing 
stones.  After  several  days  they  returned,  loaded  with 
the  skins  of  the  chamois  that  had  been  slain  by  the 
unerring  arrow  of  Tell. 

His  wife  and  children  hastened  to  the  cottage 
door  to  welcome  him,  when  they  beheld  him  coming. 
"Behold,  my  beloved,"  said  Tell,  "how  well  I  have 
sped  in  the  chase!  These  skins  will  bring  in  a  mine  of 
wealth  against  the  winter  season.  To-morrow  is  Altdorf 
fair  and  I  shall  go  thither  to  sell  them. " 

"Hurrah!"    shouted    Philip.     "Is    Altdorf   fair    to- 


236  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

morrow?  Oh,  my  faith,  I  had  forgotten  it.  Well,  I 
shall  go  thither,  and  have  some  fun." 

"  And  I  mean  to  go  too,  cousin  Philip, "  said  Henric. 

"Not  so  fast,  young  men,"  cried  Tell.  "Altdorf  fair 
will  be  full  of  soldiers  and  turbulent  people,  and  is  not 
a  proper  place  for  rash  boys  and  children. " 

"But  you  will  take  care  of  us,  father,  dear  father,'* 
said  Henric,  stroking  his  father's  arm  caressingly. 

"I  shall  have  enough  to  do  to  take  care  of  myself, 
Henric,"  replied  Tell.  ''So  you  must  be  a  good  boy, 
and  stay  with  your  mother. " 

"  But  I  won't  be  a  good  boy,  if  you  leave  me  at  home, " 
muttered  the  little  rebel. 

"Then  you  must  be  whipped,  sir,"  said  his  father; 
"  for  we  love  you  too  well  to  permit  you  to  be  naughty 
without  punishing  you. " 

On  hearing  this,  Henric  began  to  weep  with  anger. 
So  his  father  told  Lalotte  to  put  him  to  bed  without  his 
supper. 

Now  Philip  was  a  silly,  good-natured  fellow,  and 
fancied  that  his  little  cousin,  Henric,  of  whom  he 
was  very  fond,  was  ill-treated  by  his  father.  So  he  took 
an  opportunity  of  slipping  a  sweet-cake  into  his  pouch, 
from  the  supper-board,  with  which  he  slily  stole  to 
Henric 's  crib. 

"Never  mind  my  cross  uncle,  sweet  cousin,"  said  he: 
"  see,  I  have  brought  you  a  nice  cake. " 

"Oh!  I  don't  care  about  cakes,"  cried  Henric.  "I 
want  to  go  to  Altdorf  fair  to-morrow. " 

"  And  you  shall  go  to  Altdorf  fair, "  said  Philip. 

"But  how  can  I  go,  when  father  says  he  won't  take 
me?"  sobbed  Henric. 

"There,  dry  your  eyes,  and  go  to  sleep,"  whispered 


William  Tell  237 

Philip;  "as  soon  as  my  uncle  is  gone  I  will  take  you  to 
the  fair  with  me;  for  I  mean  to  go,  in  spite  of  all  he  has 
said  to  the  contrary. " 

"But  what  will  mother  say?"  asked  Henric. 

"We  won't  let  her  know  anything  about  it,"  said 
Philip.  ' 

"But  Lalotte  won't  let  us  go;  for  Lalotte  is  very  cross, 
and  wants  to  master  me. " 

"A  fig  for  Lalotte!"  cried  the  rude  Philip;  "do  you 
think  I  care  for  her?" 

"I  won't  care  for  Lalotte  when  I  grow  a  great  big  boy 
like  you,  cousin  Philip;  but  she  makes  me  mind  her  now,  '* 
said  Henric. 

"Never  fear;  we  will  find  some  way  of  outwitting 
Mademoiselle  Lalotte  to-morrow,"  said  Philip. 

The  next  morning  William  Tell  rose  at  an  early  hour, 
and  proceeded  to  the  fair  at  Altdorf,  to  sell  his  chamois 
skins, 

Philip  instead  of  getting  up,  and  offering  to  carry 
them  for  his  uncle,  lay  in  bed  till  after  he  was  gone.  He 
was  pondering  on  his  undutiful  scheme  of  taking  little 
Henric  to  the  fair,  in  defiance  of  Tell's  express  commands 
that  both  should  stay  at  home  that  day. 

Henric  could  eat  no  breakfast  that  morning  for  think- 
ing of  the  project  in  which  Philip  had  tempted  him  to 
engage.  His  kind  mother  patted  his  curly  head,  and 
gave  him  a  piece  of  honeycomb  for  not  crying  to  go  to 
the  fair.  He  blushed  crimson-red  at  this  commendation, 
and  was  just  going  to  tell  his  mother  all  about  it,  when 
Philip,  guessing  his  thoughts,  held  up  his  finger,  and 
shook  his  head  at  him. 

When  his  mother  and  Lalotte  went  into  the  dairy  to 
churn  the  butter    they   begged   Henric  and  Philip  to 


238  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

take  care  of  Lewis  and  the  other  Httle  ones,  so  that 
they  should  not  get  into  any  mischief.  No  sooner, 
however,  were  they  gone,  than  PhiHp  said, 

*'Now,  Henric,  is  our  time  to  make  our  escape,  and  go 
to  the  fair." 

"But,"  said  Henric,  "my  mother  gave  me  some  sweet 
and  honeycomb  just  now,  for  being  a  good  boy;  and  it 
will  be  very  naughty  of  me  to  disobey  my  father's  com- 
mands after  that.  So,  dear  Philip,  I  was  thinking  that 
I  would  stay  at  home  to-day,  if  you  would  stay  too,  and 
make  little  boats  for  me  to  float  on  the  lake. " 

"I  shall  do  no  such  thing,  I  promise  you,"  replied 
Philip;  "for  I  mean  to  go  to  the  fair,  and  see  the  fun. 
You  may  stay  at  home,  if  you  like — for  I  don't  want  to 
be  plagued  with  your  company. " 

"Oh,  dear!"  cried  Henric,  "but  I  want  very  much  to 
go  to  the  fair,  and  see  the  fun  too. " 

"Come  along  then, "said  Philip;  "or  we  shall  not  get 
there  in  time  to  see  the  tumblers,  or  the  apes  and  dancing 
bears,  or  the  fire-eaters,  or  any  other  of  the  shows. " 

It  was  nearly  two  hours  before  the  truants  were  missed 
by  Henric's  mother  and  Lalotte;  for  they  were  all  that 
time  busy  in  the  dairy.  At  length  they  heard  the  children 
cry;  on  which,  Lalotte  ran  into  the  room,  and  found  no 
one  with  them  but  Lewis. 

"What  a  shame,"  cried  Lalotte,  "for  that  lazy  boy 
Philip,  to  leave  all  these  little  ones,  with  only  you,  Lewis. 
Where  is  Henric,  pray  ?  " 

"Oh!  Henric  is  gone  to  the  fair  with  cousin  Philip," 
lisped  little  Lewis. 

"Oh  that  wicked  Philip!"  cried  Lalotte.  "Aunt! 
aunt!  Philip  has  run  off  to  Altdorf  fair,  and  taken 
Henric  with  himl" 


William  Tell  239 

"My  dear  Lalotte,"  said  her  aunt,  "you  must  put  on 
your  hood  and  sabots,  and  run  after  them.  Perhaps,  as 
you  are  light-footed,  you  can  overtake  them,  and  bring 
Henric  back.     I  am  sure,  some  mischief  will  befall  him." 

Lalotte  hastily  threw  her  gray  serge  cloak  about  her, 
and  drew  the  hood  over  her  head.  She  slipped  her  little 
feet  into  her  sabots,  or  wooden  shoes,  and  took  the  road 
to  Altdorf ,  hurrying  along  as  fast  as  she  could,  in  hope  of 
overtaking  the  truants  before  they  reached  the  town. 

More  than  once  the  little  maiden  thought  of  turning 
back,  but  the  remembrance  of  Philip's  rash  and  inconsi- 
derate temper  filled  her  with  alarm  for  the  safety  of  the 
child  whom  he  had  tempted  away  from  home.  She  re- 
flected that,  as  her  uncle  was  at  Altdorf,  it  would  be  her 
wisest  course  to  proceed  thither  to  seek  him  out,  and  to 
inform  him  of  his  little  boy  being  then  in  the  fair. 

Lalotte  entered  the  market-place  of  Altdorf,  at  the  mom- 
ent when  her  uncle,  having  disposed  of  his  chamois-skins 
to  advantage,  was  crossing  from  the  carriers'  stalls  to  a 
clothier's  booth  to  purchase  woollen  cloths  for  winter 
garments.  Fairs  were  formerly  marts,  where  merchants 
and  artisans  brought  their  goods  for  sale;  and  persons 
resorted  thither,  not  for  the  purpose  of  riot  and  revelling, 
but  to  purchase  useful  commodities,  clothing,  and  house- 
hold goods  at  the  best  advantage. 

William  Tell  had  been  requested  by  his  careful  wife  to 
purchase  a  variety  of  articles  for  the  use  of  the  family. 
He  was  so  intent  in  performing  all  her  biddings,  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  that  he  never  once  thought  of  the  cap 
which  the  insolent  governor,  Gessler,  had  erected  in  the 
market-place,  till  he  found  himself  opposite  to  the  lofty 
pole  on  which  it  was  exalted.  He  would  have  passed  it 
unconsciously  had  he  not  been  stopped  by  the  German 


240  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

soldiers,  who  were  under  arms  on  either  side  the  pole, 
to  enforce  obedience  to  the  insulting  edict  of  the  governor 
of  Uri.  Tell  then  paused,  and,  raising  his  eyes  to  the  object 
to  which  the  captain  of  the  guard,  with  an  authoritative 
gesture,  directed  his  attention,  beheld  the  ducal  cap  of 
Austria  just  above  him. 

The  colour  mounted  to  the  cheek  of  the  free-born  hunter 
of  the  Alps,  at  the  sight  of  this  badge  of  slavery  of  his 
fallen  country.  Casting  an  indignant  glance  upon  the 
foreign  soldiers  who  had  impeded  his  progress,  he  moved 
sternly  forward,  without  offering  the  prescribed  act  of 
homage  to  the  cap. 

''Stop!"  cried  the  captain  of  the  guard;  "you  are  in- 
curring the  penalty  of  death,  rash  man,  by  your  disobe- 
dience to  the  edict  of  his  excellency  the  Governor  of 
Uri. " 

''Indeed!"  replied  Tell.  "I  was  not  aware  that  I 
was  doing  anything  unlawful. " 

"  You  have  insulted  the  majesty  of  our  lord  the  Emperor 
by  passing  that  cap  without  bowing  to  it, "  said  the  officer. 

"I  wist  not  that  more  respect  were  due  to  an  empty 
cap,  than  to  a  cloak  and  doublet,  or  a  pair  of  hose," 
replied  Tell. 

"Insolent  traitor!  dost  thou  presume  to  level  thy  rude 
gibes  at  the  badge  of  royalty?"  cried  the  governor, 
stepping  forward  from  behind  the  soldiers,  where  he 
had  been  listening  to  the  dispute  between  Tell  and  the 
officer. 

Poor  Lalotte,  meantime,  having  caught  a  glimpse  of 
her  uncle's  tall,  manly  figure  through  the  crowd,  had 
pressed  near  enough  to  hear  the  alarming  dialogue  in 
which  he  had  been  engaged  with  the  German  soldiers. 
While,  pale  with  terror,  she  stood  listening  with  breathless 


William  Tell  241 

attention,  she  recognised  Philip  at  no  great  distance,  with 
little  Henric  in  his  arms,  among  the  spectators. 

The  thoughtless  Philip  was  evidently  neither  aware.how 
near  he  was  to  his  uncle,  nor  of  tke  peril  in  which  he  stood. 
With  foolish  glee,  he  was  pointing  out  the  cap  to  little 
Henric;  and  though  Lalotte  could  not  hear  what  he  was 
saying,  she  fancied  he  was  rashly  boasting  to  the  child  of 
the  share  in  the  exploit  of  pelting  it  down  a  few  nights 
previous. 

While  her  attention  was  thus  painfully  excited  she 
heard  some  of  the  people  round  her  saying, 

"Who  is  it  that  has  ventured  to  resist  the  governor's 
decree?" 

"It  is  William  Tell,  the  crossbow-man  of  Burglen," 
replied  many  voices. 

"William  Tell!"  said  one  of  the  soldiers;  "why  it  was 
his  kinsman  who  raised  a  rabble  to  insult  the  ducal  bonnet 
the  other  night. " 

"Ay,  it  was  the  scapegrace,  Philip  Tell,  who  assailed 
the  cap  of  our  sovereign  with  stones,  till  he  struck  it 
down,"  cried  another. 

"Behold  where  the  young  villain  stands,"  exclaimed 
a  third,  pointing  to  Philip. 

"Hallo,  hallo!  seize  the  young  traitor,  in  the  name  of 
the  Emperor  and  the  governor !"  shouted  the  Germans. 

"Run,  Philip,  run — run  for  your  life!"  cried  a  party 
of  his  youthful  associates. 

Philip  hastily  set  his  little  cousin  on  his  feet,  and  start- 
ed off  with  the  speed  of  the  wild  chamois  of  the  Alpine 
mountains;  leaving   little   Henric  to   shift  for  himself. 

"The  child,  the  child!  jthe  precious  boy!  he  will  be 
trampled  to  death!"  shrieked  Lalotte. 

Henric  had  caught  sight  of  his  father  among  the  crowd 


242  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

while  Philip  was  holding  him  up  to  look  at  the  ducal  cap, 
and  he  had  been  much  alarmed  lest  his  father  should  see 
him.  But  the  moment  he  found  himself  abandoned  by 
Philip,  he  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  screamed  with  all  his 
might, '' Father,  father!" 

The  helplessness,  the  distress,  together  with  the  un- 
common beauty  of  the  child,  moved  the  heart  of  a  peasant 
near  him,  to  compassion.  "  Who  is  your  father,  my  fair 
boy?"  said  he.  " Point  him  out,  and  I  will  lead  you  to 
him." 

**My  father  is  William  Tell,  the  crossbow-man  of 
Biirglen,"  said  the  child.  **  There  he  is.  close  to  the 
cap  on  the  pole  yonder. " 

''Is  ^  your  father,  poor  babe?"  said  the  peasant. 
''Well,  you  will  find  him  in  rare  trouble,  and  I  hope  you 
may  not  be  the  means  of  adding  to  it,  my  little  man. " 

No  sooner  had  the  kind  man  cleared  the  way  through 
the  crowd  for  his  young  companion,  and  conducted  him 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot  where  William  Tell  stood, 
than  the  urchin  drew  his  hand  away  from  his  new  friend, 
and  running  to  his  father,  flung  his  little  arms  about  his 
knees,  sobbing,  "Father,  dear  father,  pray  forgive  me 
this  once,  and  I  will  never  disobey  you  again. " 

Henric  made  his  appearance  at  an  unlucky  moment 
both  for  his  father  and  himself;  for  the  cruel  governor  of 
Uri,  exasperated  at  the  manly  courage  of  Tell,  seized  the 
boy  by  the  arm  and  sternly  demanded  if  he  were  his 
son. 

"Harm  not  the  child,  I  pray  thee,"  cried  Tell:  "he  is 
my  first  born." 

"It  is  not  my  intention  to  do  him  harm,"  replied  the 
governor.  "If  any  mischief  befall  the  child,  it  will  be 
by  thy  own  hand,  traitor.     Here,"  cried  he  to  one  of  his 


William  Tell  243 

soldiers,  "take  this  boy,  tie  him  beneath  yon  linden-tree, 
in  the  centre  of  the  market-place,  and  place  an  apple 
on  his  head " 

"What  means  this?"  cried  Tell. 

"I  am  minded  to  see  a  specimen  of  your  skill  as  an 
archer,"  replied  Gessler.  "I  am  told  that  you  are  the 
best  marksman  in  all  Uri;  and,  therefore,  your  life  being 
forfeited  by  your  presumptuous  act  of  disobedience,  I 
am  inclined,  out  of  the  clemency  of  my  nature,  to  allow 
you  a  chance  of  saving  it.  This  you  may  do,  if  you  can 
shoot  an  arrow  so  truly  aimed  as  to  cleave  the  apple  upon 
thy  boy's  head.  But  if  thou  either  miss  the  apple,  or 
slay  the  child,  then  shall  the  sentence  of  death  be  in- 
stantly executed. " 

"Unfeeling  tyrant!"  exclaimed  Tell;  "dost  thou  think 
that  I  could  endeavour  to  preserve  my  own  life  by  risking 
that  of  my  precious  child?" 

"  Nay, "  replied  Gessler,  "  I  thought  I  was  doing  thee  a 
great  favour  by  offering  thee  an  alternative,  whereby  thou 
mightest  preserve  thy  forfeited  life  by  a  lucky  chance. " 

"A  lucky  chance!"  exclaimed  Tell:  "and  dost  thou 
believe  that  I  would  stake  my  child's  life  on  such  a  desper- 
ate chance  as  the  cast  of  an  arrow  launched  by  the  agitated 
hand  of  an  anxious  father,  at  such  a  mark  as  that  ?  Nay, 
look  at  the  child  thyself,  my  lord.  Though  he  be  no  kin 
to  thee,  and  thou  knowest  none  of  his  pretty  ways  and 
winning  wiles,  whereby  he  endeareth  himself  to  a  parent's 
heart — yet  consider  his  innocent  countenance,  the  artless 
beauty  of  his  features,  and  the  rosy  freshness  of  his 
rounded  cheeks,  which  are  dimpling  with  joy  at  the  sight 
of  me,  though  the  tears  yet  hang  upon  them — and  then 
say,  whether  thou  couldst  find  in  thine  heart  to  aim  an 
arrow  that  perchance  might  harm  him?" 


244  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"I  swear,"  replied  Gessler,  "that  thou  shalt  either 
shoot  the  arrow,  or  diel" 

*'My  choice  is  soon  made,"  said  Tell,  dropping  the 
bow  from  his  hand.     *'  Let  me  die! " 

''Ay,  but  the  child  shall  be  slain  before  thy  face  ere 
thine  own  sentence  be  executed,  traitor!"  cried  the 
governor,  ''if  thou  shoot  not  at  him." 

"Give  me  the  bow  once  more!"  exclaimed  Tell,  in  a 
hoarse,  deep  voice;  "but  in  mercy  let  some  one  turn  the 
child's  face  away  from  me.  If  I  meet  the  glance  of  those 
sweet  eyes  of  his,  it  will  unnerve  my  hand;  and  then, 
perchance,  the  shaft,  on  whose  true  aim  his  life  and 
mine  depend,  may  err." 

Lalotte,  knowing  that  all  depended  on  his  remaining 
quiet,  as  soon  as  the  soldiers  had  placed  him  with  his 
face  averted  from  his  father,  sprang  forward,  and  whis- 
pered in  Henric's  ear,  "  Stand  firm,  dear  boy,  without 
moving,  for  five  minutes,  and  you  will  be  forgiven  for 
your  fault  of  this  morning. " 

There  w^as  a  sudden  pause  of  awe  and  expectation 
among  the  dense  crowd  that  had  gathered  round  the 
group  planted  within  a  bow-shot  of  the  linden-tree 
beneath  which  the  child  was  bound.  Tell,  whose  arms 
were  now  released,  unbuckled  the  quiver  that  was  slung 
across  his  shoulder,  and  carefully  examined  his  arrows, 
one  by  one.  He  selected  two:  one  of  them  he  placed  in 
his  girdle,  the  other  he  fitted  to  his  bow-string;  and  then 
he  raised  his  eyes  to  Heaven,  and  his  lips  moved  in  prayer. 
He  relied  not  upon  his  own  skill  but  he  asked  the  assis- 
tance of  One  in  whose  hands  are  the  issues  of  life  and 
death;  and  he  did  not  ask  in  vain.  The  trembHng,  agit- 
ated hand  that  a  moment  before  shook  with  the  strong 
emotion  of  a  parent's  anxious  fears,  became  suddenly 


William  Tell 


245 


firm  and  steady;  his  swimming  eyes  resumed  their  keen, 
clear  sight,  and  his  mind  recovered  its  wonted  energy 
of  purpose  at  the  proper  moment. 

Lalotte's  young  voice  w^as  the  first  to  proclaim,  aloud, 
"The  arrow  hath  cleft  the  apple  in  twain!  and  the 
child  is  safe. " 

"  God  hath  sped  my  shaft,  and  blessed  be  His  name!'* 
exclaimed  the  pious  archer,  on  whose  ear  the  thunders 
of  applause,  with  which  the  assembled  multitude  hailed 
his  successful  shot,  had  fallen  unheeded. 

The  soldiers  now  unbound  the  child;  and  Lalotte 
fearlessly  advanced,  and  led  him  to  his  father.  But 
before  the  fond  parent  could  fold  his  darling  to  his 
bosom,  the  t\Tant  Gessler  sternly  demanded  for  what 
purpose  he  had  reserved  the  second  arrow,  which  he  had 
seen  him  select  and  place  in  his  belt. 

"That  arrow,"  replied  Tell,  giving  way  to  a  sudden 
burst  of  passion,  "that  arrow  was  designed  to  avenge 
the  death  of  my  child,  if  I  had  slain  him  with  the  other. " 

"How  to  avenge?"  exclaimed  the  governor,  furiously. 
"To  avenge,  saidst  thou?  and  on  whom  didst  thou 
intend  thy  vengeance  would  fall?" 

"  On  thee,  tyrant  1"  replied  Tell,  fixing  his  eyes  sternly 
on  the  governor.  "  My  next  mark  would  have  been  thy 
bosom,  had  I  failed  in  my  first.  Thou  perceivest  that 
mine  is  not  a  shaft  to  miscarry." 

"Well,  thou  hast  spoken  frankly,"  said  Gessler;  "and 
since  I  have  promised  thee  thy  life  I  will  not  swerve  from 
my  word.  But  as  I  have  now  reason  for  personal  ap- 
prehensions from  thy  malice,  I  shall  closet  thee  hence- 
forth so  safely  in  the  dungeons  of  Kiissnacht,  that  the 
light  of  sun  or  moon  shall  never  more  visit  thine  eyes; 
and  thy  fatal  bow  shall  hereafter  be  harmless. " 


246  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

On  this  the  guard  once  more  laid  hands  on  the  intrepid 
archer,  whom  they  seized  and  bound,  in  spite  of  the  entrea- 
ties of  Lalotte,  and  the  cries  and  tears  of  little  Hemic, 
who  hung  weeping  about  his  father. 

"Take  him  home  to  his  mother,  Lalotte;  and  bear 
my  last  fond  greetings  to  her  and  the  little  ones,  whom  I, 
peradventure,  shall  see  no  more,"  said  Tell,  bursting 
into  tears.  The  mighty  heart  which  had  remained  firm 
and  unshaken  in  the  midst  of  all  his  perils  and  trials, 
now  melted  within  him  at  the  sight  of  his  child's  tears, 
the  remembrance  of  his  home,  and  anticipations  of  the 
sufferings  of  his  tender  wife. 

The  inhuman  Gessler  scarcely  permitted  his  prisoner 
the  satisfaction  of  a  parting  embrace  with  Henric  and 
Lalotte,  ere  he  ordered  him  to  be  hurried  on  board  a 
small  vessel  in  which  he  embarked  also  with  his  armed 
followers.  He  commanded  the  crew  to  row  to  Brunnen, 
where  it  was  his  intention  to  land,  and,  passing  through 
the  territory  of  Schwyz,  to  lodge  the  captive  Tell  in  the 
dungeon  of  Kiissnacht,  and  there  to  immure  him  for  life. 

The  sails  were  hoisted  and  the  vessel  under  weigh, 
when  suddenly  one  of  those  storms  common  on  the  lake 
of  Uri  overtook  them,  accompanied  with  such  violent 
gusts  of  wind,  that  the  terrified  pilot  forsook  the  helm; 
and  the  bark,  with  the  governor  and  his  crew,  was  in  dan- 
ger of  being  ingulfed  in  the  raging  waters.  Gessler, 
like  most  wicked  people,  was  in  great  terror  at 
the  prospect  of  death,  when  one  of  his  attendants  re- 
minded him  that  the  prisoner,  William  Tell,  was  no  less 
skilful  in  the  management  of  a  boat  than  in  the  exercise 
of  the  bow.  So  he  ordered  that  Tell  should  be  unbound, 
and  placed  at  the  helm. 

The  boat,  steered  by  the  master-hand  of  the  intrepid 


William  Tell  247 

Tell,  now  kept  its  course  steadily  through  the  mountain 
surge;  and  Tell  observed,  *'that  by  the  grace  of  God, 
he  trusted  a  deliverance  was  at  hand." 

As  the  prow  of  the  vessel  was  driven  inland.  Tell 
perceived  a  solitary  table  rock  and  called  aloud  the  rowers 
to  redouble  their  efforts,  till  they  should  have  passed  the 
precipice  ahead.  At  the  instant  they  came  abreast  this 
point  he  snatched  his  bow  from  the  plank,  where  it  was 
lying  forgotten  during  the  storm,  and,  turning  the  helm 
suddenly  toward  the  rock,  he  sprang  lightly  on  shore, 
scaled  the  mountain,  and  was  out  of  sight  and  beyond 
reach  of  pursuit,  before  any  on  board  had  recovered  from 
consternation. 

Tell,  meantime,  entered  Schwyz,  and  having  reached 
the  heights  which  border  the  main  road  to  Klissnacht, 
concealed  himself  among  the  brushwood  in  a  small  hollow 
of  the  road,  where  he  knew  Gessler  would  pass  on  his 
way  to  his  own  castle,  in  case  he  and  his  followers  escaped 
and  came  safely  to  shore.  This,  it  appeared  they  did, 
and  having  effected  a  landing  at  Brunnen,  they  took 
horse,  and  proceeded  towards  Klissnacht,  in  the  direction 
of  the  only  road  to  the  castle. 

While  they  were  passing  the  spot  where  Tell  lay  con- 
cealed, he  heard  the  cruel  tyrant  denouncing  the  most 
deadly  vengeance,  not  only  on  himself,  but  his  helpless 
family:  "  If  I  live  to  return  to  Altdorf,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  will  destroy  the  whole  brood  of  the  traitor  Tell,  mother 
and  children,  in  the  same  hour. " 

"Monster,  thou  shalt  return  to  Altdorf  no  morel" 
murmured  Tell.  So,  raising  himself  up  in  his  lair,  and 
fitting  an  arrow  to  his  bow,  he  took  deadly  aim  at  the 
relentless  bosom  that  was  planning  the  destruction  oi  all 
his  family. 


248  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  arrow  flew  as  truly  to  the  mark  as  that  which  he 
had  shot  in  the  market-place  of  Altdorf,  and  the  tyrant 
Gessler  fell  from  his  horse,  pierced  with  a  mortal  wound. 

The  daring  archer  thought  that  he  had  taken  his  aim 
unseen  by  human  eye;  but,  to  his  surprise,  a  familiar 
voice  whispered  in  his  ear,  ''Bravo,  uncle!  that  was  the 
best-aimed  shaft  you  ever  shot.  Gessler  is  down,  and 
we  are  a  free  people  now. " 

''Thou  incorrigible  varlet,  what  brings  thee  here?'* 
replied  Tell,  in  an  undervoice,  giving  Philip  a  rough 
grip  of  the  arm. 

"It  is  no  time  to  answer  questions, "  returned  Phihp. 
"  The  Riitli  band  are  waiting  for  thee,  if  so  be  thou 
canst  escape  from  this  dangerous  place ;  and  my  business 
here  was  to  give  thee  notice  of  the  same. " 

On  this.  Tell  softly  crept  from  the  thicket,  and,  followed 
by  his  nephew,  took  the  road  to  Stienen,  which  under 
cover  of  darkness,  they  reached  that  night. 

Philip,  by  the  way,  after  expressing  much  contrition 
for  having  seduced  little  Henric  to  go  to  the  fair  wuth 
him,  informed  his  uncle  that  Henric  and  Lalotte  had 
been  safely  conducted  home  by  one  of  the  band  of  the 
Riitli  who  chanced  to  be  at  Altdorf  fair. 

When  they  reached  Stienen  Tell  was  received  with  open 
arms  by  Stauffacher,  the  leader  of  the  Rutli  band;  and 
with  him  and  the  other  confederates,  he  so  well  concerted 
measures  for  the  deliverance  of  Switzerland  from  the 
German  yoke,  that,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  the  whole 
country  was  in  arms.  The  -Emperor  of  Germany's 
forces  were  ever)^vhere  defeated;  and  on  the  first  day 
of  the  year,  1308,  the  independence  of  Switzerland  was 
declared. 

His  grateful  countrymen  would  have  chosen  William 


William  Tell  249 

Tell  for  their  sovereign,  but  he  nobly  rejected  the  offer, 
declaring  that  he  was  perfectly  contented  with  the  station 
of  life  in  which  he  was  born,  and  wished  to  be  remembered 
in  history  by  no  other  title  than  that  of  the  Deliverer  of 
Switzerland. 

This  true  patriot  lived  happily  in  the  bosom  of  his 
family  for  many  years,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
his  children  grow  up  in  the  fear  of  God  and  the  practice 
of  virtue. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ROBERT   BRUCE 

I  HOPE  you  have  not  forgotten,  my  dear  child, 
that  all  the  cruel  wars  of  Scotland  arose  out 
of  the  debate  between  the  great  lords  who  claimed 
the  throne  after  King  Alexander  the  Third's  death.  The 
Scottish  nobility  rashly  submitted  the  decision  of  that 
matter  to  King  Edward  I  of  England,  and  thus  opened 
the  way  to  his  endeavouring  to  seize  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland  to  himself.  It  was  natural  that  such  of  the 
people  as  were  still  determined  to  fight  for  the  deliverance 
of  their  country  from  the  English,  should  look  round  for 
some  other  King,  under  whom  they  might  unite  themselves, 
to  combat  the  power  of  England. 

Amongst  these,  the  principal  candidates,  were  two 
powerful  noblemen.  The  first  was  Robert  Bruce,  Earl 
of  Carrick;  the  other  was  John  Comyn,  or  Cuming, 
of  Badenoch,  usually  called  the  Red  Comyn,  to  distin- 
guish him  from  his  kinsman,  the  Black  Comyn,  so  named 
from  his  swarthy  complexion.  These  two  great  and 
powerful  barons  had  taken  part  with  Sir  William  Wal- 
lace in  the  wars  against  England;  but,  after  his  defeat, 
being  careful  of  losing  their  great  estates,  and  considering 
the  freedom  of  Scotland  as  beyond  the  possibility  of 
being  recovered,  both  Bruce  and  Comyn  had  not  only 
submitted  themselves  to  Edward,  and  acknowledged  his 
title  as  King  of  Scotland,  but  even  borne  arms,  along 
with  the  English,  against  such  of  their  countrymen  as  still 

250 


Robert  Bruce  251 

continued  to  resist  the  usurper.  But  the  feelings  of 
Bruce  concerning  the  baseness  of  this  conduct,  are  said,  by 
the  old  tradition  of  Scotland,  to  have  been  awakened  by 
the  following  incident.  In  one  of  the  numerous  battles,  or 
skirmishes,  which  took  place  at  the  time  between  the 
English  and  their  adherents  on  the  one  side,  and  the  in- 
surgent or  patriotic  Scots  upon  the  other,  Robert  the 
Bruce  was  present,  and  assisted  the  English  to  gain  the 
victory.  After  the  battle  was  over,  he  sat  down  to  dinner 
among  his  southern  friends  and  allies,  without  washing 
his  hands,  on  which  there  still  remained  spots  of  the 
blood  which  he  had  shed  during  the  action.  The  English 
lords,  observing  this  whispered  to  each  other  in  mockery, 
''Look  at  that  Scotsman,  who  is  eating  his  own  blood!" 
Bruce  heard  what  they  said,  and  began  to  reflect  that  the 
blood  upon  his  hands  might  be  indeed  called  his  own, 
since  it  was  that  of  his  brave  countrymen  who  were 
fighting  for  the  independence  of  Scotland,  whilst  he  was 
assisting  its  oppressors,  who  only  laughed  at  and  mocked 
him  for  his  unnatural  conduct.  He  was  so  much  shocked 
and  disgusted  that  he  arose  from  table,  and,  going  into 
a  neighbouring  chapel,  shed  many  tears,  and,  asking  par- 
don of  God  for  the  great  crime  he  had  been  guilty  of, 
made  a  solemn  vow  that  he  would  atone  for  it  by  doing 
all  in  his  power  to  deliver  Scotland  from  the  foreign  yoke. 
Accordingly,  he  left,  it  is  said,  the  English  army,  and 
never  joined  it  again,  but  remained  watching  an  oppor- 
tunity for  restoring  the  freedom  of  his  country. 

Now,  this  Robert  the  Bruce  was  held  the  best  warrior 
in  Scotland.  He  was  very  wise  and  prudent,  and  an 
excellent  general;  that  is,  he  knew  how  to  conduct  an 
army,  and  place  them  in  order  for  battle,  as  well  or  better 
than  any  great  man  of  his  time.     He  was  generous,  too, 


252  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  courteous  by  nature;  but  he  had  some  faults,  which 
perhaps  belonged  as  much  to  the  fierce  period  in  which 
he  lived  as  to  his  own  character.  He  was  rash  and  pas- 
sionate, and  in  his  passion  he  was  sometimes  relentless 
and  cruel. 

Robert  the  Bruce  had  fixed  his  purpose,  as  I  told  you, 
to  attempt  once  again  to  drive  the  English  out  of  Scotland, 
and  he  desired  to  prevail  upon  Sir  John,  the  Red  Comyn, 
who  was  his  rival  in  his  pretensions  to  the  throne,  to  join 
with  him  in  expelling  the  foreign  enemy  by  their  common 
efforts.  With  this  purpose,  Bruce  requested  an  inter- 
view with  John  Comyn.  They  met  in  the  Church  of  the 
Minorites  in  Dunfries,  before  the  high  altar.  What 
passed  betwixt  them  is  not  known  with  certainty;  but 
they  quarrelled,  either  concerning  their  mutual  preten- 
sions to  the  Crown,  or  because  Comyn  refused  to  join 
Bruce  in  the  proposed  insurrection  against  the  English; 
or,  as  many  writers  say,  because  Bruce  charged  Comyn 
with  having  betrayed  to  the  English  his  purpose  of  rising 
up  against  King  Edward.  It  is,  however,  certain,  that 
these  two  haughty  barons  came  to  high  and  abusive 
words,  until  at  length  Bruce  forgot  the  sacred  character 
of  the  place  in  which  they  stood,  and  struck  Comyn  a 
blow  w^ith  his  dagger.  Having  done  this  rash  deed,  he 
instantly  ran  out  of  the  church  and  called  for  his  horse. 
Two  friends  of  Bruce  were  in  attendance  on  him.  See- 
ing him  pale,  bloody,  and  in  much  agitation  they  eagerly 
inquired  what  w^as  the  matter. 

*'I  doubt,"  said  Bruce,  ''that  I  have  slain  the  Red 
Comyn." 

"Do  you  leave  such  a  matter  in  doubt?"  said  one, 
"I  will  make  sicker!" — that  is,  I  will  make  certain. 
Accordingly,  he  and  his  companion  rushed  into  the  church 


Robert  Bruce  253 

and  made  the  matter  certain  with  a  vengeance,  by  dis- 
patching the  wounded  Comyn  with  their  daggers.  His 
uncle,  Sir  Robert  Comyn,  was  slain  at  the  same  time. 

This  slaughter  of  Comyn  was  a  rash  and  cruel  action. 
It  was  followed  by  the  displeasure  of  Heaven ;  for  no  man 
ever  went  through  more  misfortunes  than  Robert  Bruce, 
although  he  at  length  rose  to  great  honour.  After  the 
deed  was  done,  Bruce  might  be  called  desperate.  He 
had  committed  an  action  which  was  sure  to  bring  down 
upon  him  the  vengeance  of  all  Comyn's  relations,  the 
resentment  of  the  King  of  England,  and  the  displeasure 
of  the  Church,  on  account  of  having  slain  his  enemy 
within  consecrated  ground.  He  determined,  therefore, 
to  bid  them  all  defiance  at  once,  and  to  assert  his  pre- 
tensions to  the  throne  of  Scotland.  He  drew  his  own 
followers  together,  summoned  to  meet  him  such  barons 
as  still  entertained  hopes  of  the  freedom  of  the  country, 
and  was  crowned  King  at  the  Abbey  of  Scone,  the  usual 
place  where  the  Kings  of  Scotland  assumed  their  authority. 

Everything  relating  to  the  ceremony  was  hastily  per- 
formed. A  small  circlet  of  gold  was  hurriedly  made,  to 
represent  the  ancient  crown  of  Scotland,  which  Edward 
had  carried  off  to  England.  The  Earl  of  Fife,  descen- 
dant of  the  brave  Macduff,  whose  duty  it  was  to  have 
placed  the  crown  on  the  King's  head,  would  not  give  his 
attendance,  but  the  ceremonial  was  performed  by  his 
sister,  Isabella,  Countess  of  Buchan. 

Edward  was  dreadfully  incensed  when  he  heard  that, 
after  all  the  pains  which  he  had  taken,  and  all  the  blood 
which  had  been  spilled,  the  Scots  were  making  this  new 
attempt  to  shake  off  his  authority.  Though  now  old, 
feeble,  and  sickly,  he  made  a  solemn  vow,  in  presence  of 
all  his  court,  that  he  would  take  the  most  ample  ven- 


2  54  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

geance  upon  Robert  the  Bruce  and  his  adherents;  after 
which  he  would  never  again  draw  his  sword  upon  a 
Christian,  but  would  only  fight  against  the  unbelieving 
Saracens  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land.  He  marched 
against  Bruce  accordingly,  at  the  head  of  a  powerful 
army. 

The  commencement  of  Bruce 's  undertaking  was  most 
disastrous.  He  was  crowned  on  the  twenty-ninth  of 
March,  1306.  On  the  eighteenth  of  May  he  was  ex- 
communicated by  the  Pope,  on  account  of  the  murder  of 
Comyn  within  consecrated  ground,  a  sentence  which  ex- 
cluded him  from  all  benefits  of  religion,  and  authorized 
any  one  to  kill  him.  Finally,  on  the  nineteenth  of  June, 
the  new  King  was  completely  defeated  near  Methven  by 
the  English  Earl  of  Pembroke.  Robert's  horse  was 
killed  under  him  in  the  action,  and  he  was  for  a  moment 
a  prisoner.  But  he  had  fallen  into  the  power  of  a  Scottish 
knight,  who,  though  he  served  in  the  English  army,  did 
not  choose  to  be  the  instrument  of  putting  Bruce  into 
their  hands,  and  allowed  him  to  escape. 

Bruce,  with  a  few  brave  adherents,  among  whom  was 
the  young  lord  of  Douglas,  who  was  afterward  called  the 
Good  Lord  James,  retired  into  the  Highland  mountains. 
The  Bruce's  wife,  now  Queen  of  Scotland,  with  several 
other  ladies,  acompanied  her  husband  and  his  few  fol- 
lowers during  their  wanderings.  There  was  no  way  of 
providing  for  them  save  by  hunting  and  fishing.  Driven 
from  one  place  in  the  Highlands  to  another,  starved  out 
of  some  districts,  and  forced  from  others  by  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  inhabitants,  Bruce  attempted  to  force  his  way 
into  Lorn;  but  he  found  enemies  everywhere.  The 
MacDougals,  a  powerful  family,  then  called  Lords  of 
Lorn,  were  friendly  to  the  English,  and  attacked  Bruce 


Robert  Bruce  255 

and  his  wandering  companions  as  soon  as  they  attempted 
to  enter  their  territory.  The  chief,  called  John  of  Lorn, 
hated  Bruce  on  account  of  his  having  slain  the  Red 
Comyn,  to  whom  this  MacDougal  was  nearly  related. 
Bruce  was  again  defeated  by  this  chief.  He  directed  his 
men  to  retreat  through  a  narrow  pass,  and,  placing  him- 
self last  of  the  party,  he  fought  with  and  slew  such  of  the 
enemy  as  attempted  to  press  hard  on  them.  Three  fol- 
lowers of  MacDougal,  a  father  and  two  sons,  called  Mac- 
Androsser,  all  very  strong  men,  when  they  saw  Bruce 
thus  protecting  the  retreat  of  his  followers,  rushed  on  the 
King  at  once.  Bruce  was  on  horseback,  in  the  strait 
pass  betwixt  a  precipitous  rock  and  a  deep  lake.  He 
struck  the  first  man  a  blow  with  his  sword,  as  cut  off 
his  hand  and  freed  the  bridle.  The  man  bled  to  death. 
The  other  brother  had  meantime  grasped  Bruce  by  the 
leg,  and  was  attempting  to  throw  him  from  horseback. 
The  King,  setting  spurs  to  his  horse,  made  the  animal 
suddenly  spring  forward,  so  that  the  Highlander  fell  under 
the  horse's  feet,  and,  as  he  was  endeavouring  to  rise  again, 
Bruce  cleft  his  head  in  two  with  his  sword.  The  father, 
seeing  his  two  sons  thus  slain,  flew  desperately  at  the 
King,  and  grasped  him  hy  the  mantle  so  close  to  his 
body,  that  he  could  not  have  room  to  wield  his  long  sword. 
But  with  the  heavy  pummel  of  that  weapon  the  King 
struck  this  third  assailant  so  dreadful  a  blow,  that  he 
dashed  out  his  brains.  Still,  however,  the  Highlander 
kept  his  dying  grasp  on  the  King's  mantle;  so  that,  to 
be  free  of  the  dead  body,  Bruce  was  obliged  to  undo  the 
brooch,  or  clasp,  by  which  it  was  fastened,  and  leave 
that,  and  the  mantle  itself,  behind  him.  The  brooch, 
which  fell  thus  into  the  possession  of  MacDougal  of  Lorn, 
is  still  preserved  in  that  ancient  family   as  a  memorial. 


256  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  King  met  with  many  such  encounters  amidst  his 
dangerous  and  dismal  wanderings;  yet,  though  almost 
always  defeated  by  the  superior  numbers  of  the  English, 
and  of  such  Scots  as  sided  with  them,  he  still  kept  up  his 
own  spirits  and  those  of  his  followers.  He  was  a  better 
scholar  than  w^as  usual  in  those  days,  when,  except 
clergymen,  few  people  learned  to  read  and  write.  But 
King  Robert  could  do  both  very  well ;  and  we  are  told  that 
he  sometimes  read  aloud  to  his  companions,  to  amuse 
them,  when  they  wxre  crossing  the  great  Highland  lakes, 
in  such  wretched  leaky  boats  as  they  could  find  for  that 
purpose.  Loch  Lomond,  in  particular,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  scene  of  such  a  lecture.  You  may  see  by  this, 
how  useful  it  is  to  possess  knowledge. 

At  last  dangers  increased  so  much  around  the  brave 
King  Robert,  that  he  was  obliged  to  separate  himself 
from  his  Queen  and  her  ladies.  So  Bruce  left  his  Queen, 
with  the  Countess  of  Buchan  and  others,  in  the  only 
castle  which  remained  to  him,  which  was  called  Kil- 
drummie,  and  is  situated  near  the  head  of  the  river  Don 
in  Aberdeenshire.  The  King  also  left  his  brother,  Nigel 
Bruce,  to  defend  the  castle  against  the  English;  and  he 
himself,  with  his  second  brother  Edward,  who  was  a  very 
brave  man,  went  over  to  an  island  called  Rachrin,  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  where  Bruce  and  the  few  men  who 
followed  his  fortunes  passed  the  winter  of  1306.  In  the 
meantime  the  castle  of  Kildrummie  was  taken  by  the 
English,  and  Nigel  Bruce,  a  beautiful  and  brave  youth, 
was  cruelly  put  to  death  by  the  victors.  The  ladies  who 
had  attended  on  Robert's  Queen,  as  well  as  the  Queen 
herself,  and  the  Countess  of  Buchan,  were  thrown  into 
strict  confinement. 

The  Countess  of  Buchan  had  given  Edward  great  of- 


Robert  Bruce  257 

fence  by  being  the  person  who  placed  the  crown  on  the 
head  of  Robert  Bruce.  She  was  imprisoned  within  the 
Castle  of  Berwick,  in  a  cage.  The  cage  was  a  strong 
wooden  and  iron  piece  of  frame-work,  placed  within  an 
apartment,  and  resembling  one  of  those  places  in  which 
wild-beasts  are  confined.  There  were  such  cages  in 
most  old  prisons  to  which  captives  were  consigned,  who 
were  to  be  confined  with  peculiar  rigour. 

The  news  of  the  taking  of  Kildrummie,  the  captivity 
of  his  wife,  and  the  execution  of  his  brother,  reached 
Bruce  while  he  was  residing  in  a  miserable  dwelling  at 
Rachrin,  and  reduced  him  to  the  point  of  despair.  After 
receiving  the  intelligence  from  Scotland,  Bruce  was  lying 
one  morning  on  his  wretched  bed,  and  deliberating  with 
himself  whether  he  had  not  better  resign  all  thoughts  of 
again  attempting  to  make  good  his  right  to  the  Scottish 
crown,  and,  dismissing  his  followers,  transport  himself 
and  his  brothers  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  spend  the  rest  of 
his  life  in  fighting  against  the  Saracens.  But  then,  on 
the  other  hand,  he  thought  it  would  be  both  criminal  and 
cowardly  to  give  up  his  attempts  to  restore  freedom  to 
Scotland  while  there  yet  remained  the  least  chance  of  his 
being  successful  in  an  undertaking,  which,  rightly  con- 
sidered, was  much  more  his  duty  than  to  drive  the  infidels 
out  of  Palestine. 

While  he  was  divided  betwixt  these  reflections,  and 
doubtful  of  what  he  should  do,  Bruce  was  looking  up- 
ward to  the  roof  of  the  cabin  in  which  he  lay ;  and  his  eye 
was  attracted  by  a  spider,  which,  hanging  at  the  end  of  a 
long  thread  of  its  own  spinning,  was  endeavouring  to 
swing  itself  from  one  beam  in  the  roof  to  another,  for  the 
purpose  of  fixing  the  line  on  which  it  meant  to  stretch  its 
web.     The  insect  made  the  attempt  again  and  again  with- 


258  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

out  success ;  at  length  Bruce  counted  that  it  had  tried  to 
carry  its  point  six  times,  and  been  as  often  unable  to  do  so. 
It  came  into  his  head  tljat  he  had  himself  fought  just  six 
battles  against  the  English  and  their  allies,  and  that  the 
poor  persevering  spider  was  exactly  in  the  same  situation 
with  himself,  having  made  as  many  trials  and  been  as 
often  disappointed  in  what  it  aimed  at.  "  Now,"  thought 
Bruce,  ''as  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  what  is  best  to  be 
done,  I  will  be  guided  by  the  luck  which  shall  attend  this 
spider.  If  the  insect  shall  make  another  effort  to  fix  its 
thread,  and  shall  be  successful,  I  will  venture  a  seventh 
time  to  try  my  fortune  in  Scotland ;  but  if  the  spider  shall 
fail,  I  will  go  to  the  wars  in  Palestine,  and  never  return  to 
my  native  country  more." 

While  Bruce  w^as  forming  this  resolution  the  spider 
made  another  exertion  with  all  the  force  it  could  muster, 
and  fairly  succeeded  in  fastening  its  thread  to  the  beam 
which  it  had  so  often  in  vain  attempted  to  reach.  Bruce 
seeing  the  success  of  the  spider,  resolved  to  try  his  own 
fortune ;  and  as  he  had  never  before  gained  a  victory,  so 
he  never  afterward  sustained  any  considerable  or  de- 
cisive check  or  defeat.  I  have  often  met  with  people  of 
the  name  of  Bruce,  so  completely  persuaded  of  the  truth 
of  this  story,  that  they  would  not  on  any  account  kill  a 
spider,  because  it  was  that  insect  which  had  shown  the 
example  of  perseverance,  and  given  a  signal  of  good  luck 
to  their  great  namesake. 

Having  determined  to  renew  his  efforts  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  Scotland,  the  Bruce  removed  himself  and  his 
followers  from  Rachrin  to  the  island  of  Arran,  which  lies 
in  the  mouth  of  the  Clyde.  The  King  landed,  and  in- 
quired of  the  first  woman  he  met  what  armed  men  were 
in  the  island.     She  returned  for  answer  that  there  had 


Robert  Bruce 


259 


arrived  there  very  lately  a  body  of  armed  strangers,  who 
had  defeated  an  English  governor  of  the  castle,  and  were 
now  amusing  themselves  with  hunting  about  the  island. 
The  King,  having  caused  himself  to  be  guided  to  the 
woods  which  these  strangers  most  frequented,  there 
blew  his  horn  repeatedly.  Now,  the  chief  of  the  stran- 
gers who  had  taken  the  castle  was  James  Douglas,  one 
of  the  best  of  Bruce's  friends,  and  he  was  accompanied 
by  some  of  the  bravest  of  that  patriotic  band.  When  he 
heard  Robert  Bruce's  horn,  he  knew  the  sound  well,  and 
cried  out,  that  yonder  was  the  King,  he  knew  by  his  man- 
ner of  blowing.  So  he  and  his  companions  hastened  to 
meet  King  Robert.  They  could  not  help  weeping  when 
they  considered  their  own  forlorn  condition,  but  they 
were  stout-hearted  men,  and  yet  looked  forward  to  freeing 
their  country. 

The  Bruce  was  now  where  the  people  were  most  likely 
to  be  attached  to  him.  He  continued  to  keep  himself 
concealed  in  his  own  earldom  of  Carrick,  and  in  the 
neighboring  country  of  Galloway,  until  he  should  have 
matters  ready  for  a  general  attack  upon  the  English.  He 
was  obliged,  in  the  meantime,  to  keep  very  few  men  with 
him,  both  for  the  sake  of  secrecy,  and  from  the  difficulty 
of  finding  provisions. 

Now,  many  of  the  people  of  Galloway  were  unfriendly 
to  Bruce.  They  lived  under  the  government  of  one 
MacDougal,  related  to  the  Lord  of  Lorn,  who  had  de- 
feated Bruce.  These  Galloway  men  had  heard  that 
Bruce  was  in  their  country,  having  no  more  than  sixty 
men  with  him ;  so  they  resolved  to  attack  him  by  surprise, 
and  for  this  purpose  they  got  together  and  brought  with 
them  two  or  three  bloodhounds.  At  that  time  blood- 
hounds, or  sleuthhounds,  were  used  for  the  purpose  of 


26o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

pursuing  great  criminals.  The  men  of  Galloway  thought 
that  if  they  missed  taking  Bruce,  or  killing  him  at  the 
first  onset,  and  if  he  should  escape  into  the  woods,  they 
would  find  him  out  by  means  of  these  bloodhounds. 

The  good  King  Robert  Bruce,  who  was  always  watch- 
ful and  vigilant,  received  some  information  of  the  inten- 
tion of  the  party  to  come  upon  him  suddenly  and  by 
night.  Accordingly,  he  quartered  his  little  troop  of 
sixty  men  on  the  side  of  a  deep  and  swift-running  river, 
that  had  very  steep  and  rocky  banks.  There  was  but 
one  ford  by  which  this  river  could  be  crossed  in  that 
neighbourhood,  and  that  ford  was  deep  and  narrow,  so 
that  two  men  could  scarcely  get  through  abreast;  the 
ground  on  which  they  were  to  land,  on  the  side  where  the 
King  was,  was  steep,  and  the  path  which  led  upward 
from  the  water's  edge  to  the  top  of  the  bank,  extremely 
narrow  and  difficult. 

Bruce  caused  his  men  to  lie  down  to  take  some  sleep,  at 
a  place  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  river,  while  he 
himself,  with  two  attendants,  went  down  to  watch  the 
ford.  He  stood  looking  at  the  ford,  and  thinking  how 
easily  the  enemy  might  be  kept  from  passing  there,  pro- 
vided it  was  bravely  defended,  when  he  heard,  always 
coming  nearer  and  nearer,  the  baying  of  a  hound.  This 
was  the  bloodhound  which  was  tracing  the  King's  steps 
to  the  ford  where  he  had  crossed,  and  two  hundied  Gal- 
loway men  were  along  with  the  animal,  and  guided  by  it. 
Bruce  at  first  thought  of  going  back  to  awaken  his  men; 
but  then  he  reflected  that  it  might  be  only  some  shep- 
herd's dog.  "My  men,"  said  he,  "are  sorely  tired;  I 
will  not  disturb  their  sleep  for  the  yelping  of  a  cur,  till  I 
know  something  more  of  the  matter."  So  he  stood  and 
listened;  and  by  and  by,  as  the  cry  of  the  hound  came 


Robert  Bruce  261 

nearer,  he  began  to  hear  a  trampling  of  horses,  and  the 
voices  of  men,  and  the  ringing  and  clattering  of  armour, 
and  then  he  was  sure  the  enemy  were  coming  to  the 
river  side.  Then  the  King  thought,  '*  If  I  go  back  to  give 
my  men  the  alarm,  these  Galloway  men  will  get  through 
the  ford  without  opposition;  and  that  would  be  a  pity, 
since  it  is  a  place  so  advantageous  to  make  defence 
against  them."  So  he  looked  again  at  the  steep  path, 
and  the  deep  river,  and  he  thought  that  they  gave  him  so 
much  advantage,  that  he  himself  could  defend  the  pas- 
sage with  his  own  hand,  until  his  men  came  to  assist  him. 
He  therefore  sent  his  followers  to  waken  his  men,  and 
remained  alone  by  the  river. 

The  noise  and  trampling  of  the  horses  increased,  and 
the  moon  being  bright,  Bruce  beheld  the  glancing  arms 
of  two  hundred  men,  on  the  opposite  bank.  The  men  of 
Galloway,  on  their  part,  saw  but  one  solitary  figure 
guarding  the  ford,  and  the  foremost  of  them  plunged  into 
the  river  without  minding  him.  But  as  they  could  only 
pass  the  ford  one  by  one,  the  Bruce,  who  stood  high  above 
them  on  the  bank  where  they  were  to  land,  killed  the 
foremost  man  with  a  thrust  of  his  long  spear,  and  with  a 
second  thrust  stabbed  the  horse,  which  fell  down,  kicking 
and  plunging  in  his  agonies,  on  the  narrow  path,  and  so 
prevented  the  others  who  were  following  from  getting 
out  of  the  river.  Bruce  had  thus  an  opportunity  of  deal- 
ing his  blows  among  them,  while  they  could  not  strike  at 
him.  In  the  confusion,  five  or  six  of  the  enemy  were 
slain,  or,  having  been  borne  down  with  the  current,  were 
drowned.     The  rest  were  terrified,  and  drew  back. 

But  when  the  Galloway  men  looked  again,  and  saw 
they  were  opposed  by  only  one  man,  they  themselves 
being  so  many,  they  cried  out,  that  their  honour  would 


262  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

be  lost  forever  if  they  did  not  force  their  way;  and  en- 
couraged each  other,  with  loud  cries,  to  plunge  through 
and  assault  him.  But  by  this  time  the  King's  soldiers 
came  up  to  his  assistance,  and  the  Galloway  men  gave 
up  their  enterprise. 

About  the  time  when  the  Bruce  was  yet  at  the  head  of 
but  few  men,  Sir  Aymer  de  Valence,  who  was  Earl  of 
Pembroke,  together  with  Sir  John  of  Lorn,  came  into 
Galloway,  each  of  them  being  at  the  head  of  a  large  body 
of  men.  John  of  Lorn  had  a  bloodhound  with  him, 
which  it  was  said  had  formerly  belonged  to  Robert  Bruce 
himself;  and  having  been  fed  by  the  King  with  his  own 
hands,  it  became  attached  to  him,  and  would  follow  his 
footsteps  anywhere,  as  dogs  are  well  known  to  trace  their 
master's  steps,  whether  they  be  bloodhounds  or  not.  By 
means  of  this  hound,  John  of  Lorn  thought  he  should 
certainly  find  out  Bruce,  and  take  revenge  on  him  for  the 
death  of  his  relation  Comyn. 

The  King  saw  that  he  was  followed  by  a  large  body, 
and  being  determined  to  escape  from  them,  he  made  all  the 
people  who  were  with  him  disperse  themselves  different 
ways,  thinking  thus  that  the  enemy  must  needs  lose  trace 
of  him.  He  kept  only  one  man  along  with  him,  and  that 
was  his  own  foster-brother,  or  the  son  of  his  nurse.  When 
John  of  Lorn  came  to  the  place  where  Bruce 's  com- 
panions had  dispersed  themselves,  the  bloodhound,  after  it 
had  snuffed  up  and  down  for  a  little,  quitted  the  footsteps 
of  all  the  other  fugitives,  and  ran  barking  upon  the  track 
of  two  men  out  of  the  whole  number.  Then  John  of 
Lorn  knew  that  one  of  these  two  must  needs  be  King 
Robert.  Accordingly,  he  commanded  five  of  his  men 
that  were  speedy  of  foot  to  chase  after  him,  and  either 
make    him   prisoner   or   slay   him.     The   Highlanders 


Robert  Bruce  263 

started  off  accordingly,  and  ran  so  fast,  that  they  gained 
sight  of  Robert  and  his  foster-brother.  The  King  asked 
his  companion  what  help  he  could  give  him,  and  his 
foster-brother  answered  he  was  ready  to  do  his  best.  So 
these  two  turned  on  the  five  men  of  John  of  Lorn,  and 
killed  them  all. 

But  by  this  time  Bruce  very  much  fatigued,  and  yet 
they  dared  not  sit  down  to  take  any  rest;  for  whenever 
they  stopped  for  an  instant,  they  heard  the  cry  of  the 
bloodhound  behind  them,  and  knew  by  that,  that  their 
enemies  were  coming  up  fast  after  them.  At  length,  they 
came  to  a  wood,  through  which  ran  a  small  river.  Then 
Bruce  said  to  his  foster-brother,  "  Let  us  wade  down  this 
stream  for  a  great  way,  instead  of  going  straight  across,  and 
so  this  unhappy  hound  will  lose  the  scent;  for  if  we  were 
once  clear  of  him,  I  should  not  be  afraid  of  getting  away 
from  the  pursuers."  Accordingly,  the  King  and  his 
attendant  walked  a  great  way  down  the  stream,  taking 
care  to  keep  their  feet  in  the  water,  which  could  not  retain 
any  scent  where  they  had  stepped.  Then  they  came 
ashore  on  the  further  side  from  the  enemy,  and  went  deep 
into  the  wood  before  they  stopped  to  rest  themselves.  In 
the  meanwhile,  the  hound  led  John  of  Lorn  straight  to 
the  place  where  the  King  went  into  the  water,  but  there 
the  dog  began  to  be  puzzled,  not  knowing  where  to  go 
next.  So,  John  of  Lorn,  seeing  the  dog  had  lost  track, 
gave  up  the  chase,  and  returned  to  join  with  Aymer  de 
Valence. 

But  King  Robert's  adventures  were  not  yet  ended. 
It  was  now  near  night,  and  he  went  boldy  into  a  farm- 
house, where  he  found  the  mistress,  an  old,  true-hearted 
Scotswoman,  sitting  alone.  Upon  seeing  a  stranger  enter 
she  asked  him  who  and  what  he  was.    The  King  an- 


264  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

swered  that  he  was  a  traveller,  who  was  journeying 
through  the  country. 

"All  travellers,"  answered  the  good  woman,  "are 
welcome  here,  for  the  sake  of  one." 

''And  who  is  that  one,"  said  the  King,  "for  whose 
sake  you  make  all  welcome  ?" 

"It  is  our  rightful  King,  Robert  the  Bruce,"  answered 
the  mistress,  "and  although  he  is  now  pursued  and 
hunted  after  with  hounds  and  horns,  I  hope  to  live  to  see 
him  King  over  all  Scotland." 

"Since  you  love  him  so  well,  dame,"  said  the  King, 
"know  that  you  see  him  before  you.  I  am  Robert  the 
Bruce." 

"You  I"  said  the  good  woman,  in  great  surprise;  "and 
wherefore  are  you  thus  alone  ? — where  are  all  your  men  ?" 

"I  have  none  with  me  at  this  moment,"  answered 
Bruce,  "and  therefore  I  must  travel  alone." 

"But  that  shall  not  be,"  said  the  brave  old  dame,  "for 
I  have  two  stout  sons,  gallant  and  trusty  men,  who  shall 
be  your  servants  for  life  and  death." 

So  she  brought  her  two  sons,  and  though  she  well  knew 
the  dangers  to  which  she  exposed  them,  she  made  them 
swear  fidelity  to  the  King. 

Now,  the  loyal  woman  was  getting  everything  ready 
for  the  King's  supper,  when  suddenly  there  was  a  great 
trampling  of  horses  heard  round  the  house.  They 
thought  it  must  be  some  of  the  English,  or  John  of  Lom's 
men,  and  the  good  wife  called  upon  her  sons  to  fight  to 
the  last  for  King  Robert.  But  shortly  after,  they  heard 
the  voice  of  the  good  Lord  James  of  Douglas,  and  of 
Edward  Bruce,  the  King's  brother,  who  had  come  with 
a  hundred  and  fifty  horsemen,  according  to  the  instruc- 
tions that  the  King  had  left  with  them  at  parting. 


Robert  Bruce  265 

Robert  the  Bruce  was  right  joyful  to  meet  his  brother, 
and  his  faithful  friend  Lord  James;  and  had  no  sooner 
found  himself  once  more  at  the  head  of  such  a  consider- 
able body  of  followers,  than  he  forgot  hunger  and  weari- 
ness. There  was  nothing  but  mount  and  ride;  and  as 
the  Scots  rushed  suddenly  into  the  village  where  the 
English  were  quartered,  they  easily  dispersed  and  cut 
them  to  pieces. 

The  consequence  of  these  successes  of  King  Robert 
was  that  soldiers  came  to  join  him  on  all  sides,  and  that  he 
obtained  several  victories  over  English  commanders; 
until  at  length  the  English  were  afraid  to  venture  into 
the  open  country,  as  formerly,  unless  when  they  could 
assemble  themselves  in  considerable  bodies.  They 
thought  it  safer  to  lie  still  in  the  towns  and  castles  which 
they  had  garrisoned. 

Edward  I  would  have  entered  Scotland  at  the  head  of 
a  large  army,  before  he  had  left  Bruce  time  to  conquer 
back  the  country.  But  very  fortunately  for  the  Scots, 
that  wise  and  skilful,  though  ambitious  King,  died  when 
he  was  on  the  point  of  marching  into  Scotland.  His  son 
Edward  II  neglected  the  Scottish  war,  and  thus  lost  the 
opportunity  of  defeating  Bruce,  when  his  force  was  small. 
But  when  Sir  Philip  Mowbray,  the  governor  of  Stirling, 
came  to  London,  to  tell  the  King,  that  Stirling,  the  last 
Scottish  town  of  importance  which  remained  in  pos- 
session of  the  English,  was  to  be  surrendered  if  it  were 
not  relieved  by  force  of  arms  before  midsummer,  then  all 
the  English  nobles  called  out,  it  would  be  a  sin  and  shame 
to  permit  the  fair  conquest  which  Edward  I  had  made, 
to  be  forfeited  to  the  Scots  for  want  of  fighting. 

King  Edward  II,  therefore,  assembled  one  of  the  great- 
est armies  which  a  King  of  England  ever  commanded. 


266  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

There  were  troops  brought  from  all  his  dominions,  many 
brave  soldiers  from  the  French  provinces,  many  Irish, 
many  Welsh,  and  all  the  great  English  nobles  and  barons, 
with  their  followers.  The  number  was  not  less  than 
one  hundred  thousand  men. 

King  Robert  the  Bruce  summoned  all  his  nobles  and 
barons  to  join  him,  when  he  heard  of  the  great  prepara- 
tions which  the  King  of  England  was  making.  They 
were  not  so  numerous  as  the  English  by  many  thousand 
men.  In  fact,  his  whole  army  did  not  very  much  exceed 
thirty  thousand,  and  they  were  much  worse  armed  than 
the  wealthy  Englishmen;  but  then,  Robert  was  one  of 
the  most  expert  generals  of  the  time;  and  the  officers  he 
had  under  him,  were  his  brother  Edward,  his  faithful 
follower  the  Douglas,  and  other  brave  and  experienced 
leaders.  His  men  had  been  accustomed  to  fight  and 
gain  victories  under  every  disadvantage  of  situation  and 
numbers. 

The  King,  on  his  part,  studied  how  he  might  supply, 
by  address  and  stratagem,  what  he  wanted  in  numbers 
and  strength.  He  knew  the  superiority  of  the  English  in 
their  heavy-armed  cavalry,  and  in  their  archers.  Both 
these  advantages  he  resolved  to  provide  against.  With 
this  purpose,  he  led  his  army  down  into  a  plain  near 
Stirling.  The  English  army  must  needs  pass  through  a 
boggy  country,  broken  with  water-courses,  while  the 
Scots  occupied  hard  dry  ground.  He  then  caused  all  the 
ground  upon  the  front  of  his  line  of  battle,  to  be  dug  full 
of  holes,  about  as  deep  as  a  man's  knee.  They  were 
filled  with  light  brushwood,  and  the  turf  was  laid  on  the 
top,  so  that  it  appeared  a  plain  field,  while  in  reality  it 
was  as  full  of  these  pits  as  a  honeycomb  is  of  holes.  He 
also,  it  is  sa-\d,  caused  steel  spikes,  called  calthrops,  to  be 


Robert  Bruce  267 

scattered  up  and  down  in  the  plain,  where  the  English 
cavahry  were  most  likely  to  advance,  trusting  in  that  man- 
ner to  lame  and  destroy  their  horses. 

When  the  Scottish  army  was  drawn  up,  the  line 
stretched  north  and  south.  On  the  south,  it  was  ter- 
minated by  the  banks  of  the  brook  called  Bannockburn, 
which  are  so  rocky,  that  no  troops  could  attack  them  there. 
On  the  left,  the  Scottish  line  extended  near  to  the  town 
of  Stirling.  Bruce  reviewed  his  troops  very  carefully. 
He  then  spoke  to  the  soldiers,  and  expressed  his  deter- 
mination to  gain  the  victory,  or  to  lose  his  life  on  the 
field  of  battle.  He  desired  that  all  those  who  did  not  pro- 
pose to  fight  to  the  last,  should  leave  the  field  before  the 
battle  began,  and  that  none  should  remain  except  those 
who  were  determined  to  take  the  issue  of  victory  or  death, 
as  God  should  send  it.  When  the  main  body  of  his  army 
was  thus  placed  in  order,  the  King  dispatched  James  of 
Douglas,  and  Sir  Robert  Keith,  the  Mareschal  of  the 
Scottish  army,  in  order  that  they  might  survey  the 
English  force.  They  returned  with  information,  that 
the  approach  of  that  vast  host  was  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  terrible  sights  which  could  be  seen — that 
the  whole  country  seemed  covered  with  men-at-arms  on 
horse  and  foot. 

It  was  upon  the  twenty-third  of  June,  13 14,  the  King 
of  Scotland  heard  the  news,  that  the  English  army  was 
approaching  Stirling.  The  van  now  came  in  sight,  and  a 
number  of  their  bravest  knights  drew  near  to  see  what 
the  Scots  were  doing.  They  saw  King  Robert  dressed 
in  his  armour,  and  distinguished  by  a  gold  crown,  which 
he  wore  over  his  helmet.  He  was  not  mounted  on  his 
great  war-horse,  because  he  did  not  expect  to  fight  that 
evening.     But  he  rode  on  a  little  pony  up  and  down  the 


268  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ranks  of  his  army,  putting  his  men  in  order,  and  carried 
in  his  hand  a  sort  of  battle-axe  made  of  steel.  When  the 
King  saw  the  English  horsemen  draw  near,  he  advanced 
a  little  before  his  own  men,  that  he  might  look  at  them 
more  nearly. 

There  was  a  knight  among  the  English,  called  Sir 
Henry  de  Bohun,  who  thought  this  would  be  a  good 
opportunity  to  gain  great  fame  to  himself,  and  put  an  end 
to  the  war,  by  killing  King  Robert.  The  King  being 
poorly  mounted,  and  having  no  lance,  Bohun  galloped 
on  him  suddenly  and  furiously,  thinking,  with  his  long 
spear,  and  his  tall,  powerful  horse,  easily  to  bear  him 
down  to  the  ground.  King  Robert  saw  him,  and  per- 
mitted him  to  come  very  near,  then  suddenly  turned  his 
pony  a  little  to  one  side,  so  that  Sir  Henry  missed  him 
with  the  lance-point,  and  was  in  the  act  of  being  carried 
past  him  by  the  career  of  his  horse.  But  as  he  passed, 
King  Robert  rose  up  in  his  stirrups,  and  struck  Sir  Henry 
on  the  head  with  his  battle-axe  so  terrible  a  blow,  that  it 
broke  to  pieces  his  iron  helmet  as  if  it  had  been  a  nut-shell, 
and  hurled  him  from  his  saddle.  He  was  dead  before 
he  reached  the  ground.  This  gallant  action  was  blamed 
by  the  Scottish  leaders,  who  thought  Bruce  ought  not  to 
have  exposed  himself  to  so  much  danger,  when  the  safety 
of  the  whole  army  depended  on  him.  The  King  only 
kept  looking  at  his  weapon,  which  was  injured  by  the 
force  of  the  blow,  and  said,  "I  have  broken  my  good 
battle-axe. " 

The  next  morning  the  English  King  ordered  his  men 
to  begin  the  battle.  The  archers  then  bent  their  bows, 
and  began  to  shoot  so  closely  together,  that  the  arrows 
fell  like  flakes  of  snow  on  a  Christmas  day.  They  killed 
many  of  the  Scots,  and  might  have  decided  the  victory: 


Robert  Bruce  269 

but  Bruce  was  prepared  for  them.  A  body  of  men-at- 
arms,  well  mounted,  rode  at  full  gallop  among  them, 
and  as  the  archers  had  no  weapons  save  their  bows  and 
arrows,  which  they  could  not  use  when  they  were  attacked 
hand  to  hand,  they  were  cut  down  in  great  numbers  by 
the  Scottish  horsemen,  and  thrown  into  total  confusion. 
The  fine  English  cavalry  then  advanced  to  support  their 
archers.  But  coming  over  the  ground  which  was  dug 
full  of  pits  the  horses  fell  into  these  holes  and  the  riders 
lay  tumbling  about,  without  any  means  of  defence,  and 
unable  to  rise,  from  the  weight  of  their  armour. 

While  the  battle  was  obstinately  maintained  on  both 
sides,  an  event  happened  which  decided  the  victory. 
The  servants  and  attendants  on  the  Scottish  camp 
had  been  sent  behind  the  army  to  a  place  afterward 
called  the  Gillies'  hill.  But  when  they  saw  that  their 
masters  were  likely  to  gain  the  day,  they  rushed  from 
their  place  of  concealment  with  such  weapons  as  they 
could  get,  that  they  might  have  their  share  in  the  victory 
and  in  the  spoil.  The  English,  seeing  them  come  sud- 
denly over  the  hill,  mistook  this  disorderly  rabble  for  a 
new  army  coming  up  to  sustain  the  Scots,  and,  losing  all 
heart,  began  to  shift  every  man  for  himself.  Edward 
himself  left  the  field  as  fast  as  he  could  ride. 

The  English,  after  this  great  defeat,  were  no  longer 
in  a  condition  to  support  their  pretensions  to  be  masters 
of  Scotland,  or  to  continue  to  send  armies  into  that  coun- 
try to  overcome  it.  On  the  contrary,  they  became  for 
a  time  scarce  able  to  defend  their  own  frontiers  against 
King  Robert  and  his  soldiers. 

Thus  did  Robert  Bruce  arise  from  the  condition  of  an 
exile,  hunted  with  bloodhounds  like  a  stag  or  beast  of 
prey,  to  the  rank  of  a«  independent  sovereign,  universally 


270  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Ktww 

acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  wisest  and  bravest  Kings 
who  then  lived.  The  nation  of  Scotland  was  also  raised 
once  more  from  the  situation  of  a  distressed  and  conquered 
province  to  that  of  a  free  and  independent  state,  governed 
by  its  own  laws. 

Robert  Bruce  continued  to  reign  gloriously  for  several 
years,  and  the  Scots  seemed,  during  his  government,  to 
have  acquired  a  complete  superiority  over  theu-  neighbours. 
But  then  we  must  remember,  that  Edward  II  who  then 
reigned  in  England,  was  a  foolish  prince,  and  listened  to 
bad  counsels;  so  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  was  beaten 
by  so  wise  and  experienced  a  general  as  Robert  Bruce, 
who  had  fought  his  way  to  the  crown  through  so  many 
disasters,  and  acquired  in  consequence  so  much  renown. 

In  the  last  year  of  Robert  the  Bruce's  reign,  he  became 
extremely  sickly  and  infirm,  chiefly  owing  to  a  disorder 
called  the  leprosy,  which  he  had  caught  during  the  hard- 
ships and  misfortunes  of  his  youth,  when  he  was  so  fre- 
quently obliged  to  hide  himself  in  woods  and  morasses, 
without  a  roof  to  shelter  him.  He  lived  at  a  castle  called 
Cardross,  on  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  river  Clyde,  near 
to  where  it  joins  the  sea;  and  his  chief  amusement  was 
to  go  upon  the  river,  and  down  to  the  sea  in  a  ship,  which 
he  kept  for  his  pleasure.  He  was  no  longer  able  to  sit 
upon  his  war-horse,  or  to  lead  his  army  to  the  field. 

While  Bruce  was  in  this  feeble  state,  Edward  II,  King 
of  England,  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Edward 
III.  He  turned  out  afterward  to  be  one  of  the  wisest 
and  bravest  Kings  whom  England  ever  had ;  but  when  he 
first  mounted  the  throne  he  was  very  young.  The  war 
between  the  English  and  the  Scots  still  lasted  at  the  time. 

But  finally  a  peace  was  concluded  with  Robert  Bruce, 
on  terms  highly  honourable  to  Scotland;  for  the  English 


Robert  Bruce  271 

King  renounced  all  pretensions  to  the  sovereignty  of  the 
country. 

Good  King  Robert  did  not  long  survive  this  joyful 
event.  He  was  not  aged  more  than  four-and-fifty  years, 
but  his  bad  health  was  caused  by  the  hardships  which 
he  sustained  during  his  youth,  and  at  length  he  became 
very  ill.  Finding  that  he  could  not  recover,  he  assembled 
round  his  bedside  the  nobles  and  counsellors  in  whom 
he  most  trusted.  He  told  them,  t^hat  now,  being  on  his 
death-bed,  he  sorely  repented  all  his  misdeeds,  and  partic- 
ularly, that  he  had,  in  his  passion,  killed  Comyn  with 
his  own  hand,  in  the  church  and  before  the  altar.  He 
said  that  if  he  had  lived,  he  had  intended  to  go  to  Jerusalem 
to  make  war  upon  the  Saracens  who  held  the  Holy 
Land,  as  some  expiation  for  the  evil  deeds  he  had  done. 
But  since  he  was  about  to  die,  he  requested  of  his  dearest 
friend  and  bravest  warrior,  and  that  was  the  good 
Lord  James  Douglas,  that  he  should  carry  his  heart  to 
the  Holy  Land.  Douglas  wept  bitterly  as  he  accepted 
this  office — the  last  mark  of  the  Bruce 's  confidence  and 
friendship. 

The  King  soon  afterward  expired;  and  his  heart 
was  taken  out  from  his  body  and  embalmed,  that  is,  pre- 
pared with  spices  and  perfumes,  that  it  might  remain 
a  long  time  fresh  and  uncorrupted.  Then  the  Douglas 
caused  a  case  of  silver  to  be  made,  into  which  he  put  the 
Bruce's  heart,  and  wore  it  around  his  neck,  by  a  string  of 
silk  and  gold.  And  he  set  forward  for  the  Holy  Land, 
with  a  gallant  train  of  the  bravest  men  in  Scotland,  who, 
to  show  their  value  of  and  sorrow  for  their  brave  King 
Robert  Bruce,  resolved  to  attend  his  heart  to  the  city  of 
Jerusalem.  In  going  to  Palestine  Douglas  landed  in 
Spain,  where  the  Saracen  King,  or  Sultan  of  Granada, 


272  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

called  Osmyn,  was  invading  the  realms  of  Alphonso,  the 
Spanish  King  of  Castile.  King  Alphonso  received 
Douglas  with  great  honour  and  distinction,  and  easily 
persuaded  the  Scottish  Earl  that  he  would  do  good  service 
to  the  Christian  cause,  by  assisting  him  to  drive  back 
the  Saracens  of  Granada  before  proceeding  on  his  voyage 
to  Jerusalem.  Lord  Douglas  and  his  followers  went 
accordingly  to  a  great  battle  against  Osmyn,  and  had 
little  difficulty  in  defeating  the  Saracens.  But  being 
ignorant  of  the  mode  of  fighting  among  the  cavalry  of  the 
East,  the  Scots  pursued  the  chase  too  far,  and  the  Moors, 
when  they  saw  them  scattered  and  separated  from  each 
other,  turned  suddenly  back,  with  a  loud  cry  of  Allah 
illah  Allah,  which  is  their  shout  of  battle,  and  surrounded 
such  of  the  Scottish  knights  and  squires  as  were  dispersed 
from  each  other. 

In  this  new  skirmish,  Douglas  saw  Sir  William  St. 
Clair  of  Roslyn  fighting  desperately,  surrounded  by 
many  Moors,  who  were  having  at  him  with  their  sabres. 
"Yonder  worthy  knight  will  be  slain,"  Douglas  said, 
"unless  he  have  instant  help."  With  that  he  galloped 
to  his  rescue,  but  presently  was  himself  also  surrounded 
by  many  Moors.  When  he  found  the  enemy  press  so 
thick  round  him,  as  to  leave  him  no  chance  of  escaping, 
the  Earl  took  from  his  neck  the  Bruce's  heart,  and 
speaking  to  it,  as  he  would  have  done  to  the  King,  had 
he  been  alive — "Pass  first  in  fight,"  he  said,  "as  thou 
wert  wont  to  do,  and  Douglas  will  follow  thee,  or  die. " 

He  then  threw  the  King's  heart  among  the  enemy, 
and  rushing  forward  to  the  place  where  it  fell,  was  there 
slain.  His  body  was  found  lying  above  the  silver  case, 
as  if  it  had  been  his  last  object  to  defend  the  Bruce's 
heart. 


Robert  Bruce  273 

Such  of  the  Scottish  knights  as  remained  alive  returned 
to  their  own  country.  They  brought  back  the  heart  of 
the  Bruce,  and  the  bones  of  the  good  Lord  James.  The 
Bruce 's  heart  was  buried  below  the  high  altar  in  Melrose 
Abbey.  As  for  his  body,  it  was  laid  in  the  sepulchre  in 
the  midst  of  the  church  of  Dunfermline,  under  a  marble 
stone.  The  church  afterward  becoming  ruinous,  and 
the  roof  falling  down  with  age,  the  monument  was  broken 
to  pieces,  and  nobody  could  tell  where  it  stood.  But 
when  they  were  repairing  the  church  at  Dunfermline, 
and  removing  the  rubbish,  lo!  they  found  fragments  of 
the  marble  tomb  of  Robert  Bruce.  Then  they  began 
to  dig  farther,  thinking  to  discover  the  body  of  this  cele- 
brated monarch ;  and  at  length  they  came  to  the  skeleton 
of  a  tall  man,  and  they  knew  it  must  be  that  of  King 
Robert,  both  as  he  was  known  to  have  been  buried  in  a 
winding  sheet  of  cloth  of  gold,  of  which  many  fragments 
were  found  about  this  skeleton,  and  also  because  the 
breastbone  appeared  to  have  been  sawed  through,  in 
order  to  take  the  heart.  A  new  tomb  was  prepared 
into  which  the  bones  were  laid  with  profound  respect. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON 


ON  THE  4th  of  March,  1797,  Washington  went  to 
the  inauguration  of  his  successor  as  President 
of  the  United  States.  The  Federal  Government 
was  sitting  in  Philadelphia  at  that  time  and  Congress 
held  sessions  in  the  courthouse  on  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Chestnut  Streets. 

At  the  appointed  hour  Washington  entered  the  hall 
followed  by  John  Adams,  who  was  to  take  the  oath  of 
ofl&ce.  When  they  were  seated  Washington  arose  and 
introduced  Mr.  Adams  to  the  audience,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  read  in  a  firm  clear  voice  his  brief  valedictory 
— not  his  great  ''Farewell  Address,"  for  that  had  already 
been  published.  A  lady  who  sat  on  "the  front  bench,'* 
"immediately  in  front"  of  Washington  describes  the 
scene  in  these  words: 

''There  was  a  narrow  passage  from  the  door  of  en- 
trance to  the  room.  General  Washington  stopped  at  the 
end  to  let  Mr.  Adams  pass  to  the  chair.  The  latter  al- 
ways wore  a  full  suit  of  bright  drab,  with  loose  cuffs  to 
his  coat.  General  Washington's  dress  was  a  full  suit  of 
black.  His  military  hat  had  the  black  cockade.  There 
stood  the  'Father  of  his  Country'  acknowledged  by  nations 
the  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen.  No  marshals  with  gold-coloured  scarfs 
attended  him;  there  was  no  cheering,  no  noise;  the  most 

274 


George  Washington  275 

profound  silence  greeted  him  as  if  the  great  assembly 
desired  to  hear  him  breathe.  Mr.  Adams  covered  his 
face  with  both  his  hands;  the  sleeves  of  his  coat  and  his 
hands  were  covered  with  tears.  Every  now  and  then 
there  was  a  suppressed  sob.  I  cannot  describe  Washing- 
ton's appearance  as  I  felt  it — perfectly  composed  and 
self-possessed  till  the  close  of  his  address.  Then  when 
strong,  nervous  sobs  broke  loose,  when  tears  covered  the 
faces,  then  the  great  man  was  shaken.  I  never  took  my 
eyes  from  his  face.  Large  drops  came  from  his  eyes. 
He  looked  as  if  his  heart  was  with  them,  and  would  be  to 
the  end." 

On  Washington's  retirement  from  the  Presidency  one 
of  his  first  employments  was  to  arrange  his  papers  and 
letters.  Then  on  returning  to  his  home  the  venerable 
master  found  many  things  to  repair.  His  landed  estate 
comprised  eight  thousand  acres,  and  was  divided  into 
farms,  with  enclosures  and  farm-buildings.  And  now 
with  body  and  mind  alike  sound  and  vigorous, 
he  bent  his  energies  to  directing  the  improve- 
ments that  marked  his  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon. 

In  his  earlier  as  well  as  in  later  life,  his  tour  of  the  farms 
would  average  from  eight  to  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  a 
day.  He  rode  upon  his  farms  entirely  unattended, 
opening  his  gates,  pulling  down  and  putting  up  his  fences 
as  he  passed,  visiting  his  labourers  at  their  work,  inspect- 
ing aU  the  operations  of  his  extensive  establishment  with 
a  careful  eye,  directing  useful  improvements  and  super- 
intending them  in  their  progress. 

He  usually  rode  at  a  moderate  pace  in  passing  through 
his  fields.  But  when  behind  time  this  most  punctual  of 
men  would  display  the  horsemanship  of  his  earlier  days, 
and  a  hard  gallop  would  bring  him  up  to  time  so  that  the 


276  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sound  of  his  horse's  hoofs  and  the  first  dinner  bell 
would  be  heard  together  at  a  quarter  before  three. 

A  story  is  told  that  one  day  an  elderly  stranger  meeting 
a  Revolutionary  worthy  out  hunting,  a  long-tried  and 
valued  friend  of  the  chief,  accosted  him,  and  asked  whether 
Washington  was  to  be  found  at  the  mansion  house,  or 
whether  he  was  off  riding  over  his  estate.  The  friend 
answered  that  he  was  visiting  his  farms,  and  directed  the 
stranger  the  road  to  take,  adding,  ''You  will  meet,  sir, 
with  an  old  gentleman  riding  alone  in  plain  drab  clothes, 
a  broad-brimmed  white  hat,  a  hickory  switch  in  his  hand, 
and  carrying  an  umbrella  with  a  long  staff,  which  is  at- 
tached to  his  saddle-bow — that  person,  sir,  is  General 
Washington." 

Precisely  at  a  quarter  before  three  the  industrious 
farmer  returned,  dressed,  and  dined  at  three  o'clock. 
At  this  meal  he  ate  heartily,  but  was  not  particular  in 
his  diet  with  the  exception  of  fish,  of  which  he  was  ex- 
cessively fond.  Touching  his  liking  for  fish,  and  illus- 
trative of  his  practical  economy  and  abhorrence  of  waste 
and  extravagance,  an  anecdote  is  told  of  the  time  he  was 
President  and  living  in  Philadelphia.  It  happened  that 
a  single  shad  had  been  caught  in  the  Delaware,  and 
brought  to  the  city  market.  His  steward,  Sam  Fraunces, 
pounced  upon  the  fish  with  the  speed  of  an  osprey,  de- 
lighted that  he  had  secured  a  delicacy  agreeable  to  the 
palate  of  his  chief,  and  careless  of  the  expense,  for  which 
the  President  had  often  rebuked  him. 

When  the  fish  was  served  Washington  suspected  the 
steward  had  forgotten  his  order  about  expenditure  for  the 
table  and  said  to  Fraunces,  who  stood  at  his  post  at  the 
sideboard,  "What  fish  is  this?"  ''A  shad,  sir,  a  very 
fine  shad,"  the  steward  answered.    "I  know  your  excel- 


George  Washington  277 

lency  is  particularly  fond  of  this  kind  of  fish,  and  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  procure  this  one — the  only  one  in  market, 
sir,  the  first  of  the  season."  ''The  price,  sir,  the  price?" 
asked  Washington  sternly.  "  Three — three  dollars, "  stam- 
mered the  conscience-stricken  steward.  "Take  it  away," 
thundered  the  chief,  "take  it  away,  sir!  It  shall  never  be 
said  that  my  table  set  such  an  example  of  luxury  and 
extravagance."  Poor  Fraunces  tremblingly  did  as  he 
was  told,  and  the  first  shad  of  the  season  was  carried 
away  untouched  to  be  speedily  discussed  in  the  servants' 
dining  room. 

Although  the  Farmer  of  Mount  Vernon  was  much 
retired  from  the  business  world,  he  was  by  no  means 
inattentive  to  the  progress  of  public  affairs.  When  the 
post  bag  arrived,  he  would  select  his  letters  and  lay  them 
aside  for  reading  in  the  seclusion  of  his  library.  The 
newspapers  he  would  peruse  while  taking  his  single 
cup  of  tea  (his  only  supper)  and  read  aloud  passages 
of  peculiar  interest,  remarking  the  matter  as  he  went 
along.  He  read  with  distinctness  and  precision.  These 
evenings  with  his  family  always  ended  at  precisely  nine 
o'clock,  when  he  bade  everyone  good  night  and  retired 
to  rest,  to  rise  again  at  four  and  renew  the  same  routine 
of  labour  and  enjoyment. 

Washington's  last  days,  like  those  that  preceded  them 
in  the  course  of  a  long  and  well-spent  life,  were  devoted 
to  constant  and  careful  employment.  His  correspon- 
dence both  at  home  and  abroad  was  immense.  Yet  no 
letter  was  unanswered.  One  of  the  best-bred  men  of 
his  time,  Washington  deemed  it  a  grave  offence  against 
the  rules  of  good  manners  and  propriety  to  leave  letters 
unanswered.  He  wrote  with  great  facility,  and  it  would 
be  a  difficult  matter  to  find  another  who  had  written  so 


278  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

much,  who  had  written  so  well.  General  Harry  Lee 
once  observed  to  him,  "We  are  amazed,  sir,  at  the  vast 
amount  of  work  you  get  through."  Washington  ans- 
wered, "Sir,  I  rise  at  four  o'clock,  and  a  great  deal  of 
my  work  is  done  while  others  sleep. " 

He  was  the  most  punctual  of  men,  as  we  said.  To 
this  admirable  quality  of  rising  at  four  and  retiring  to 
rest  at  nine  at  all  seasons,  this  great  man  owed  his  ability 
to  accomplish  mighty  labours  during  his  long  and  illus- 
trious life.  He  was  punctual  in  everything  and  made 
everyone  about  him  punctual.  So  careful  a  man 
delighted  in  always  having  about  him  a  good  timekeeper. 
In  Philadelphia,  the  first  President  regularly  walked 
up  to  his  watchmaker's  to  compare  his  watch  with  the 
regulator.  At  Mount  Vernon  the  active  yet  punctual 
farmer  invariably  consulted  the  dial  when  returning 
from  his  morning  ride,  and  before  entering  his  house. 

The  affairs  of  the  household  took  order  from  the 
master's  accurate  and  methodical  arrangement  of  time. 
Even  the  fisherman  on  the  river  watched  for  the  cook's 
signal  when  to  pull  in  shore  and  deliver  his  catch  in  time 
for  dinner. 

Among  the  picturesque  objects  on  the  Potomac,  to 
be  seen  from  the  eastern  portion  of  the  mansion  house, 
was  the  light  canoe  of  the  house's  fisher.  Father 
Jack  was  an  African,  an  hundred  years  of  age,  and 
although  enfeebled  in  body  by  weight  of  years,  his  mind 
possessed  uncommon  vigour.  And  he  would  tell  of  days 
long  past  when,  under  African  suns,  he  was  made 
captive,  and  of  the  terrible  battle  in  which  his  royal 
sire  was  slain,  the  village  burned,  and  himself  sent  to 
the  slave  ship. 

Father  Jack  had  in  a  considerable  degree  a  leading 


George  Washington  279 

quality  of  his  race — somnolency.  Many  an  hour  could 
the  family  of  Washington  see  the  canoe  fastened  to  a 
stake,  with  the  old  fisherman  bent  nearly  double  enjoy- 
ing a  nap,  which  was  only  disturbed  by  the  jerking  of 
the  white  perch  caught  on  his  hook.  But,  as  we  just 
said,  the  domestic  duties  of  Mount  Vernon  were  gov- 
erned by  clock  time,  and  the  slumbers  of  fisher  Jack 
might  occasion  inconvenience,  for  the  cook  required  the 
fish  at  a  certain  hour,  so  that  they  might  be  served 
smoking  hot  precisely  at  three.  At  times  he  would 
go  to  the  river  bank  and  make  the  accustomed  signals, 
and  meet  with  no  response.  The  old  fisherman  would 
be  quietly  reposing  in  his  canoe,  rocked  by  the  gentle 
undulations  of  the  stream,  and  dreaming,  no  doubt,  of 
events  "long  time  ago."  The  importunate  master  of 
the  kitchen,  grown  ferocious  by  delay,  would  now  rush 
up  and  down  the  water's  edge,  and,  by  dint  of  loud 
shouting,  cause  the  canoe  to  turn  its  prow  to  the  shore. 
Father  Jack,  indignant  at  its  being  supposed  he  was 
asleep  at  his  post,  would  rate  those  present  on  his  land- 
ing, ''What  you  all  meek  such  a  debil  of  a  noise  for, 
hey?    I  wa'nt  sleep,  only  noddin'. " 

The  establishment  of  Mount  Vernon  employed  a 
perfect  army  of  domestics ;  yet  to  each  one  was  assigned 
special  duties,  and  from  each  one  strict  performance 
was  required.  There  was  no  confusion  where  there  was 
order,  and  the  affairs  of  this  estate,  embracing  thousands 
of  acres  and  hundreds  of  dependents,  were  conducted 
with  as  much  ease,  method  and  regularity  as  the  affairs 
of  a  homestead  of  average  size. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  an  accomplished  house-wife  of 
the  olden  time,  and  she  gave  constant  attention  to  all 
matters  of  her  household,  and  by  her  skill  and  manage- 


28o  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ment  greatly  contributed  to  the  comfort  and  entertain- 
ment of  the  guests  who  enjoyed  the  hospitahty  of 
her  home. 

The  best  charities  of  Hfe  were  gathered  round  Wash- 
ington in  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  love 
and  veneration  of  a  whole  people  for  his  illustrious  ser- 
vices, his  generous  and  untiring  labours  in  the  cause  of 
public  utility;  his  kindly  demeanour  to  his  family  circle, 
his  friends,  and  numerous  dependents;  his  courteous  and 
cordial  hospitality  to  his  guests,  many  of  them  strangers 
from  far  distant  lands;  these  charities,  all  of  which  sprang 
from  the  heart,  were  the  ornament  of  his  declining  years 
and  granted  the  most  sublime  scene  in  nature,  when 
human  greatness  reposes  upon  human  happiness. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  December,  1799,  the 
General  was  engaged  in  making  some  improvements 
in  the  front  of  Mount  Vernon.  As  was  usual  with  him, 
he  carried  his  own  compass,  noted  his  observations,  and 
marked  out  the  ground.  The  day  became  rainy,  with 
sleet,  and  the  improver  remained  so  long  exposed  to  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather  as  to  be  considerably  wetted 
before  his  return  to  the  house.  About  one  o'clock  he 
was  seized  with  chilliness  and  nausea,  but  having  changed 
his  clothes  he  sat  down  to  his  indoor  work.  At  night, 
on  joining  his  family  circle,  he  complained  of  a  slight 
indisposition.  Upon  the  night  of  the  following  day, 
having  borne  acute  suffering  with  composure  and 
fortitude,  he  died. 

In  person  Washington  was  unique.  He  looked  like 
no  one  else.  To  a  stature  lofty  and  commanding  he 
united  a  form  of  the  manliest  proportions,  and  a  dignifed, 
graceful,  and  imposing  carriage.  In  the  prime  of  life 
he  stood  six  feet,  two  inches.     From  the  period  of  the 


George  Washington  281 

Revolution  there  was  an  evident  bending  in  his  frame 
so  passing  straight  before,  but  the  stoop  came  from 
the  cares  and  toils  of  that  arduous  contest  rather  than 
from  years.  For  his  step  was  firm,  his  appearance 
noble  and  impressive  long  after  the  time  when  the  phys- 
ical properties  of  men  are  supposed  to  wane. 

A  majestic  height  was  met  by  corresponding  breadth 
and  firmness.  His  whole  person  was  so  cast  in  nature's 
finest  mould  as  to  resemble  an  ancient  statue,  all  of 
whose  parts  unite  to  the  perfection  of  the  whole.  But 
with  all  its  development  of  muscular  power,  Washington's 
form  had  no  look  of  bulkiness,  and  so  harmonious  were 
its  proportions  that  he  did  not  appear  so  tall  as  his  por- 
traits have  represented.  He  was  rather  spare  than  full 
during  his  whole  life. 

The  strength  of  Washington's  arm  was  shown  on  several 
occasions.  He  threw  a  stone  from  the  bed  of  the  stream 
to  the  top  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  Virginia,  and  another 
stone  across  the  Rappahannock  at  Fredericksburg.  The 
stone  was  said  to  be  a  piece  of  slate  about  the  size  of  a 
dollar  with  which  he  spanned  the  bold  river,  and  it  took 
the  ground  at  least  thirty  yards  on  the  other  side.  Many 
have  since  tried  this  feat,  but  none  have  cleared  the 
water. 

In  1772  some  young  men  were  contending  at  Mount 
Vernon  in  the  exercise  of  pitching  the  bar.  The  Colonel 
looked  on  for  a  time,  then  grasping  the  missile  in  his  mas- 
ter hand  he  whirled  the  iron  through  the  air  and  it  fell 
far  beyond  any  of  its  former  limits.  ''You  see,  young 
gentlemen,"  said  the  chief  with  a  smile,  "that  my  arm 
yet  retains  some  portion  of  my  early  vigour."  He  was 
then  in  his  fortieth  year  and  probably  in  the  fullness  of  his 
physical  powers.     Those  powers  became  rather  mellowed 


282  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

than  decayed  by  time,  for  ''his  age  was  hke  lusty  winter, 
frosty  yet  kindly,"  and  up  to  his  sixty-eighth  year  he 
mounted  a  horse  with  surprising  agility  and  rode  with 
ease  and  grace.  Rickets,  the  celebrated  equestrian, 
used  to  say,  ''I  delight  to  see  the  General  ride  and  make  it 
a  point  to  fall  in  with  him  when  I  hear  he  is  out  on  horse- 
back— his  seat  is  so  firm,  his  management  so  easy  and 
graceful  that  I  who  am  an  instructor  in  horsemanship 
would  go  to  him  and  learn  to  ride." 

In  his  later  days,  the  General,  desirous  of  riding 
pleasantly,  procured  from  the  North  two  horses  of  a 
breed  for  bearing  the  saddle.  They  were  well  to  look 
at,  and  pleasantly  gaited  under  the  saddle,  but  also 
scary  and  therefore  unfitted  for  the  service  of  one  who 
liked  to  ride  quietly  on  his  farm,  occasionally  dismounting 
and  walking  in  his  fields  to  inspect  improvements.  From 
one  of  these  horses  the  General  sustained  a  fall — probably 
the  only  fall  he  ever  had  from  a  horse  in  his  life.  It  was 
upon  a  November  evening,  and  he  was  returning  from 
Alexandria  to  Mount  Vernon  with  three  friends  and  a 
groom.  Having  halted  a  few  moments  he  dismounted, 
and  upon  rising  in  his  stirrup  again,  the  horse,  alarmed 
at  the  glare  from  a  fire  near  the  road-side,  sprang  from 
under  his  rider  who  came  heavily  to  the  ground.  His 
friends  rushed  to  give  him  assistance,  thinking  him 
hurt.  But  the  vigorous  old  man  was  upon  his  feet 
again,  brushing  the  dust  from  his  clothes,  and  after 
thanking  those  who  came  to  his  aid  said  that  he  had  had 
a  very  complete  tumble,  and  that  it  was  owing  to  a 
cause  no  horseman  could  well  avoid  or  control — that  he 
was  only  poised  in  his  stirrap,  and  had  not  yet  gained 
his  saddle  when  the  scary  animal  sprang  from  under  him. 

Bred  in  the  vigorous  school  of  frontier  warfare,  ''the 


George  Washington  283 

earth  for  his  bed,  his  canopy  the  heavens,"  Washington 
excelled  the  hunter  and  woodsman  in  their  athletic 
habits  and  in  those  trials  of  manhood  which  filled  the 
hardy  days  of  his  early  life.  He  was  amazingly  swift  of 
foot,  and  could  climb  steep  mountains  seemingly  without 
effort.  Indeed  in  all  the  tests  of  his  great  physical  powers 
he  appeared  to  make  little  effort.  When  he  overthrew 
the  strong  man  of  Virginia  in  wrestling,  upon  a  day  when 
many  of  the  finest  athletes  were  engaged  in  the  contest, 
he  had  retired  to  the  shade  of  a  tree  intent  upon  the  read- 
ing of  a  book.  It  was  only  after  the  champion  of  the 
games  strode  through  the  ring  calling  for  nobler  antago- 
nists, and  taunting  the  reader  with  the  fear  that  he  would 
be  thrown,  that  Washington  closed  his  book.  Without 
taking  off  his  coat  he  calmly  observed  that  fear  did  not 
enter  his  make-up ;  then  grappling  with  the  champion  he 
hurled  him  to  the  ground.  "In  Washington's  lion-like 
grasp,"  said  the  vanquished  wrestler,  "I  became  power- 
less, and  went  down  with  a  force  that  seemed  to  jar  the 
very  marrow  in  my  bones."  The  victor,  regardless  of 
shouts  at  his  success,  leisurely  retired  to  his  shade,  and 
again  took  up  his  book. 

Washington's  powers  were  chiefly  in  his  limbs.  His 
frame  was  of  equal  breadth  from  the  shoulders  to  the 
hips.  His  chest  was  not  prominent  but  rather  hollowed 
in  the  centre.  He  never  entirely  recovered  from  a  pul- 
monary affection  from  which  he  suffered  in  early  life. 
His  frame  showed  an  extraordinary  development  of  bone 
and  muscle;  his  joints  were  large,  as  were  his  feet;  and 
could  a  cast  of  his  hand  have  been  preserved,  it  would  be 
ascribed  to  a  being  of  a  fabulous  age.  Lafayette  said, 
''I  never  saw  any  human  being  with  so  large  a  hand  as 
the  General's." 


284  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Of  the  awe  and  reverence  which  the  presence  of  Wash- 
ington inspired  we  have  many  records.  "I  stood,"  says 
one  writer,  ''before  the  door  of  the  Hall  of  Congress  in 
Philadelphia  when  the  carriage  of  the  President  drew  up. 
It  was  a  white  coach,  or  rather  of  a  light  cream  colour, 
painted  on  the  panels  with  beautiful  groups  representing 
the  four  seasons.  As  Washington  alighted  and,  ascend- 
ing the  steps,  paused  on  the  platform,  he  was  preceded 
by  two  gentleman  bearing  large  white  wands,  who  kept 
back  the  eager  crowd  that  p'-essed  on  every  side.  At 
that  moment  I  stood  so  near  I  might  have  touched  his 
clothes;  but  I  should  as  soon  have  thought  of  touching 
an  electric  battery.  I  was  penetrated  with  deepest  awe. 
Nor  was  this  the  feeling  of  the  school-boy  I  then  was.  It 
pervaded,  I  believe,  every  human  being  that  approached 
Washington ;  and  I  have  been  told  that  even  in  his  social 
hours,  this  feeling  in  those  who  shared  them  never  suf- 
fered intermission.  I  saw  him  a  hundred  times  after- 
ward but  never  with  any  other  than  the  same  feeling. 
The  Almighty,  who  raised  up  for  our  hour  of  need  a  man 
so  peculiarly  prepared  for  its  whole  dread  responsibility, 
seems  to  have  put  a  stamp  of  sacredness  upon  his  in- 
strument. The  first  sight  of  the  man  struck  the  eye  with 
involuntary  homage  and  prepared  everything  around  him 
to  obey. 

''At  the  time  I  speak  of  he  stood  in  profound  silence 
and  had  the  statue-like  air  which  mental  greatness  alone 
can  bestow.  As  he  turned  to  enter  the  building,  and  was 
ascending  the  staircase  to  the  Congressional  hall,  I 
glided  along  unseen,  almost  under  the  cover  of  the  skirts 
of  his  dress,  and  entered  into  the  lobby  of  the  House 
which  was  in  session  to  receive  him. 

"At  Washington's  entrance  there  was  a  most  pro- 


George  Washington  285 

found  silence.  House,  lobbies,  gallery,  all  were  wrapped 
in  deepest  attention.  And  the  souls  of  the  entire  assem- 
blage seemed  peering  from  their  eyes  as  the  noble  figure 
deliberately  and  unaffectedly  advanced  up  the  broad  aisle 
of  the  hall  between  ranks  of  standing  senators  and  mem- 
bers, and  slowly  ascended  the  steps  leading  to  the 
speaker's  chair. 

"The  President  having  seated  himself  remained  in 
silence,  and  the  members  took  their  seats,  waiting  for  the 
speech.  No  house  of  worship  was  ever  more  profoundly 
still  than  that  large  and  crowded  chamber. 

"Washington  was  dressed  precisely  as  Stuart  has 
painted  him  in  full-length  portrait — in  a  full  suit  of  the 
richest  black  velvet,  with  diamond  knee-buckles  and 
square  silver  buckles  set  upon  shoes  japanned  with  most 
scrupulous  neatness;  black  silk  stockings,  his  shirt 
ruffled  at  the  breast  and  waist,  a  light  dress  sword,  his 
hair  profusely  powdered,  fully  dressed,  so  as  to  project 
at  the  sides,  and  gathered  behind  in  a  silk  bag  ornamented 
with  a  large  rose  of  black  ribbon.  He  held  his  cocked 
hat,  which  had  a  large  black  cockade  on  one  side  of  it,  in 
his  hand,  as  he  advanced  toward  the  chair,  and  when 
seated,  laid  it  on  the  table. 

"At  length  thrusting  his  hand  within  the  side  of  his 
coat,  he  drew  forth  a  roll  of  manuscript  which  he  opened, 
and  rising  read  in  a  rich,  deep,  full,  sonorous  voice  his 
opening  address  to  Congress.  His  enunciation  was 
deliberate,  justly  emphasised,  very  distinct,  and  accom- 
panied with  an  air  of  deep  solemnity  as  being  the  utter- 
ance of  a  mind  conscious  of  the  whole  responsibility  of  its 
position,  but  not  oppressed  by  it.  There  was  ever  about 
the  man  something  which  impressed  one  with  the  con- 
viction that  he  was  exactly  and  fully  equal  to  what  he  had 


286  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

to  do.  He  was  never  hurried;  never  negligent;  but 
seemed  ever  prepared  for  the  occasion,  be  it  what  it 
might.  In  his  study,  in  his  parlour,  at  a  levee,  before 
Congress,  at  the  head  of  the  army,  he  seemed  ever 
to  be  just  what  the  situation  required.  He  possessed, 
in  a  degree  never  equalled  by  any  human  being  I 
ever  saw,  the  strongest,  most  ever-present  sense  of  pro- 
priety." 

In  the  early  part  of  Washington's  administration, 
great  complaints  were  made  by  political  opponents  of  the 
aristocratic  and  royal  demeanour  of  the  President.  Par- 
ticularly, these  complaints  were  about  the  manner  of 
his  receiving  visitors.  In  a  letter  Washington  gave  ac- 
count of  the  origin  of  his  levees:  "Before  the  custom  was 
established,"  he  wrote,  *'  which  now  accomodates  foreign 
characters,  strangers  and  others,  who,  from  motives  of 
curiosity,  respect  for  the  chief  magistrate,  or  other  cause, 
are  induced  to  call  upon  me,  I  was  unable  to  attend  to 
any  business  whatever;  for  gentlemen,  consulting  their 
own  convenience  rather  than  mine,  were  calling  after  the 
time  I  rose  from  breakfast,  and  often  before,  until  I  sat 
down  to  dinner.  This,  as  I  resolved  not  to  neglect  my 
public  duties,  reduced  me  to  the  choice  of  one  of  these 
alternatives:  either  to  refuse  visits  altogether,  or  to  ap- 
propiate  a  time  for  the  reception  of  them.  ...  To 
please  everybody  was  impossible.  I  therefore,  adopted 
that  line  of  conduct  which  combined  public  advantage 
with  private  convenience.  .  .  .  These  visits  are  op- 
tional, they  are  made  without  invitation;  between  the 
hours  of  three  and  four  every  Tuesday  I  am  prepared  to 
receive  them.  Gentlemen,  often  in  great  numbers,  come 
and  go,  chat  with  each  other,  and  act  as  they  please.  A 
porter  shows  them  into  the  room,  and  they  retire  from  it 


George  Washington  287 

when  they  choose,  without  ceremony.  At  their  first 
entrance  they  salute  me,  and  I  them,  and  as  many  as  I 
can  I  talk  to." 

An  English  gentleman  after  visiting  President  Washing- 
ton wrote,  "There  was  a  commanding  air  in  his  ap- 
pearance which  excited  respect  and  forbade  too  great  a 
freedom  toward  him,  independently  of  that  species  of 
awe  which  is  always  felt  in  the  moral  influence 
of  a  great  character.  In  every  movement,  too, 
there  was  a  polite  gracefulness  equal  to  any  met  with 
in  the  most  polished  individuals  of  Europe,  and  his 
smile  was  extraordinarily  attractive.  ...  It 
struck  me  no  man  could  be  better  formed  for  command. 
A  stature  of  six  feet,  a  robust  but  well-proportioned  frame 
calculated  to  stand  fatigue,  without  that  heaviness  which 
generally  attends  great  muscular  strength  and  abates 
active  exertion,  displayed  bodily  power  of  no  mean  stand- 
ard. A  light  eye  and  full — the  very  eye  of  genius  and 
reflection.  His  nose  appeared  thick,  and  though  it 
befitted  his  other  features  was  too  coarsely  and  strongly 
formed  to  be  the  handsomest  of  its  class.  His  mouth 
was  like  no  other  I  ever  saw :  the  lips  firm,  and  the  under- 
jaw  seeming  to  grasp  the  upper  with  force,  as  if  its 
muscles  were  in  full  action  when  he  sat  still." 

Such  Washington  appeared  to  those  who  saw  and  knew 
him.  Such  he  remains  to  our  vision.  His  memory  is 
held  by  us  in  undying  honour.  Not  only  his  memory 
alone  but  also  the  memory  of  his  associates  in  the  struggle 
for  American  Independence.  Homage  we  should  have 
in  our  hearts  for  those  patriots  and  heroes  and  sages  who 
with  humble  means  raised  their  native  land — now  our 
native  land — from  the  depths  of  dependence,  and  made 
it  a  free  nation.     And  especially  for  Washington,  who 


288  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

presided  over  the  nation's  course  at  the  beginning  of  the 
great  experiment  in  self-government  and,  after  an  unex- 
ampled career  in  the  service  of  freedom  and  our  human- 
kind, with  no  dimming  of  august  fame,  died  calmly  at 
Mount  Vernon — the  Father  of  his  Country. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Robert  E.  Lee 

A   boy's  impressions 

THE  first  vivid  recollection  I  have  of  my  father  is 
his  arrival  in  Arlington,  after  his  return  from 
the  Mexican  War.  I  can  remember  some  events 
of  which  he  seemed  a  part,  when  we  lived  at  Fort 
Hamilton,  New  York,  about  1846,  but  they  are  more 
like  dre^.ms,  very  indistinct  and  disconnected — naturally 
so,  for  I  was  at  that  time  about  three  years  old.  But 
the  day  of  his  return  to  Arlington,  after  an  absence  of 
more  than  two  years,  I  have  always  remembered.  I  had 
a  frock  or  blouse  of  some  light  wash  material,  probably 
cotton,  a  blue  ground  dotted  over  with  white  diamond 
figures.  Of  this  I  was  very  proud,  and  wanted  to  wear 
it  on  this  important  occasion.  Ehza,  my  ''mammy," 
objecting,  we  had  a  contest  and  I  won.  Clothed  in  this, 
my  very  best,  and  with  my  hair  freshly  curled  in  long 
golden  ringlets,  I  went  down  into  the  large  hall  where 
the  whole  household  was  assembled,  eagerly  greeting 
my  father,  who  had  just  arrived  on  horseback  from 
Washington,  having  missed  in  some  way  the  carriage 
which  had  been  sent  for  him. 

There  was  visiting  us  at  this  time  Mrs.  Lippitt,  a  friend 
of  my  mother's,  with  her  little  boy,  Armistead,  about  my 
age  and  size,  also  with  long  curls.  Whether  he  wore 
as  handsome  a  suit  as  mine  I  cannot  remember,  but  he 
and  I  were  left  together  in  the  background,  feeling  rather 

289 


290  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

frightened  and  awed.  After  a  moment's  greeting  to 
those  surrounding  him,  my  father  pushed  through  the 
crowd,  exclaiming: 

"Where  is  my  little  boy?" 

He  then  took  up  in  his  arms  and  kissed — not  me, 
his  own  child,  in  his  best  frock  with  clean  face  and  well- 
arranged  curls — but  my  little  playmate,  Armistead. 
I  remember  nothing  more  of  any  circumstances  connected 
with  that  time,  save  that  I  was  shocked  and  humiliated. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  he  was  at  once  informed  of  his  mis- 
take and  made  ample  amends  to  me. 

A  letter  from  my  father  to  his  brother.  Captain  S.  S. 
Lee,  United  States  Navy,  dated  '^Arlington,  June  30, 
1848,"  tells  of  his  coming  home: 

"Here  I  am  once  again,  my  dear  Smith,  perfectly  sur- 
rounded by  Mary  and  her  precious  children,  who  seem 
to  devote  themselves  to  staring  at  the  furrows  in  my  face 
and  the  white  hairs  in  my  head.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
I  am  hardly  recognisable  to  some  of  the  young  eyes 
around  me  and  perfectly  unknown  to  the  youngest.  But 
some  of  the  older  ones  gaze  with  astonishment  and  wonder 
at  me,  and  seem  at  a  loss  to  reconcile  what  they  see  and 
what  was  pictured  in  their  imaginations.  I  find  them, 
too,  much  grown,  and  all  well,  and  I  have  much  cause  for 
thankfulness,  and  gratitude  to  that  good  God  who  has 
once  more  united  us. " 

My  next  recollection  of  my  father  is  in  Baltimore, 
while  we  were  on  a  visit  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Marshall, 
the  wife  of  Judge  Marshall.  I  remember  being  down 
on  the  wharves,  where  my  father  had  taken  me  to  see 
the  landing  of  a  mustang  pony  which  he  had  gotten  for 
me  in  Mexico,  and  which  had  been  shipped  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  Baltimore  in  a  sailing  vessel.  I  was  all  eyes 
for  the  pony,  and  a  very  miserable,  sad-looking  object 


Robert  E.  Lee  291 

he  was.  From  his  long  voyage,  cramped  quarters,  and 
unavoidable  lack  of  grooming,  he  was  rather  a  disap- 
pointment to  me,  but  I  soon  got  over  all  that.  As  I  grew 
older,  and  was  able  to  ride  and  appreciate  him,  he  became 
the  joy  and  pride  of  my  life.  I  was  taught  to  ride  on  him 
by  Jim  Connally,  the  faithful  Irish  servant  of  my  father, 
who  had  been  with  him  in  Mexico.  Jim  used  often  to 
tell  me,  in  his  quizzical  way,  that  he  and  ^' Santa  Anna" 
(the  pony's  name)  were  the  first  men  on  the  walls  of 
Chepultepec.  This  pony  was  pure  white,  five  years 
old,  and  about  fourteen  hands  high.  For  his  inches,  he 
was  as  good  a  horse  as  I  ever  have  seen.  While  we 
lived  in  Baltimore,  he  and  ''Grace  DarHng,"  my  father's 
favorite  mare,  were  members  of  our  family. 

Grace  Darling  was  a  chestnut  of  fine  size  and  of  great 
power,  which  he  had  bought  in  Texas  on  his  way  out  to 
Mexico,  her  owner  having  died  on  the  march  out.  She 
was  with  him  during  the  entire  campaign,  and  was  shot 
seven  times;  at  least,  as  a  little  fellow  I  used  to  brag 
about  that  number  of  bullets  being  in  her,  and  since  I 
could  point  out  the  scars  of  each  one,  I  presume  it  was 
so.  My  father  was  very  much  attached  to  and  proud 
of  her,  always  petting  her  and  talking  to  her  in  a  loving 
way,  when  he  rode  her  or  went  to  see  her  in  her  stall. 
Of  her  he  wrote  on  his  return  home : 

"I  only  arrived  yesterday,  after  a  long  journey  up  the 
Mississippi,  which  route  I  was  induced  to  take,  for  the 
better  accommodation  of  my  horse,  as  I  wished  to  spare 
her  as  much  annoyance  and  fatigue  as  possible,  she 
already  having  undergone  so  much  suffering  in  my  ser- 
vice. I  landed  her  at  Wheeling  and  left  her  to  come  over 
with  Jim." 

Santa  Anna  was  found  lying  cold  and  dead  in  the  park 


292  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

of  Arlington  one  morning  in  the  winter  of  '6o-'6i. 
Grace  Darling  was  taken  in  the  spring  of  '62  from  the 
White  House*  by  some  Federal  quartermaster,  when 
McClellan  occupied  that  place  as  his  base  of  supplies 
during  his  attack  on  Richmond.  When  we  lived  in 
Baltimore,  I  was  greatly  struck  one  day  by  hearing  two 
ladies  who  were  visiting  us  saying : 

"Everybody  and  everything — his  family,  his  friends, 
his  horse,  and  his  dog — loves  Colonel  Lee. " 

The  dog  referred  to  was  a  black-and-tan  terrier  named 
"Spec,"  very  bright  and  intelligent  and  really  a  member 
of  the  family,  respected  and  beloved  by  ourselves  and 
well  known  to  all  who  knew  us.  My  father  picked  up 
its  mother  in  the  ''Narrows"  while  crossing  from  Fort 
Hamilton  to  the  fortifications  opposite  on  Staten  Island. 
She  had  doubtless  fallen  overboard  from  some  passing 
vessel  and  had  drifted  out  of  sight  before  her  absence 
had  been  discovered.  He  rescued  her  and  took  her 
home,  where  she  was  welcomed  by  his  children  and  made 
much  of.  She  was  a  handsome  little  thing,  with  cropped 
ears  and  a  short  tail.  My  father  named  her  "Dart." 
She  was  a  fine  ratter,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  Maltese 
cat,  also  a  member  of  the  family,  the  many  rats  which 
infested  the  house  and  stables  were  driven  away  or  des- 
troyed. She  and  the  cat  were  fed  out  of  the  same  plate, 
but  Dart  was  not  allowed  to  begin  the  meal  until  the 
cat  had  finished. 

Spec  was  born  at  Fort  Hamilton,  and  was  the  joy  of 
us  children,  our  pet  and  companion.  My  father  would 
not  allow  his  tail  and  ears  to  be  cropped.  When  he 
grew  up,  he  accompanied  us  everywhere  and  was  in  the 


*  My  brother's  place  on  the  Pamunkey  River,  where  the  mare  had 
been  sent  for  safe  keeping. 


Robert  E.  Lee  295 

habit  of  going  into  church  with  the  family.  As  some 
of  the  Kttle  ones  allowed  their  devotions  to  be  disturbed 
by  Spec's  presence,  my  father  determined  to  leave  him 
at  home  on  those  occasions.  So  the  next  Sunday  morning 
he  was  sent  up  to  the  front  room  of  the  second  story. 
After  the  family  had  left  for  church  he  contented  himself 
for  a  while  looking  out  of  the  window,  which  was  open,, 
it  being  summer  time.  Presently  impatience  overcame 
his  judgment  and  he  jumped  to  the  ground,  landed 
safely  notwithstanding  the  distance,  joined  the  family 
just  as  they  reached  the  church,  and  went  in  with  them 
as  usual,  much  to  the  joy  of  the  children.  After  that 
he  was  allowed  to  go  to  church  whenever  he  wished. 
My  father  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  loved  to  talk  to  him 
and  about  him  as  if  he  were  really  one  of  us.  In  a  letter 
to  my  mother,  dated  Fort  Hamilton,  January  18,  1846,. 
when  she  and  her  children  were  on  a  visit  to  Arlington,, 
he  thus  speaks  of  him : 

"  ...  I  am  very  solitary,  and  my  only  company 
is  my  dog  and  cats.  But  Spec  has  become  so  jealous 
now  that  he  will  hardly  let  me  look  at  the  cats.  He 
seems  to  be  afraid  that  I  am  going  off  from  him,  and 
never  lets  me  stir  without  him.  Lies  down  in  the  office 
from  eight  to  four  without  moving,  and  turns  himself 
before  the  fire  as  the  side  from  it  becomes  cold.  I  catch 
him  sometimes  sitting  up  looking  at  me  so  intently  that 
I  am  for  a  moment  startled.     ..." 

In  a  letter  from  Mexico  written  a  year  later — December 
25,  1846,  to  my  mother,  he  says: 

"...  Can't  you  cure  poor  Spec?  Cheer  him 
up — take  him  to  walk  with  you  and  tell  the  children  to 
cheer  him  up.     ..." 

In  another  letter  from  Mexico  to  his  eldest  boy,  just 


294  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

after  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz,  he  sends  this  message  to 
Spec: 

"...  Tell  him  I  wish  he  was  here  with  me.  He 
would  have  been  of  great  service  in  telling  me  when  I  was 
coming  upon  the  Mexicans.  When  I  was  reconnoitering 
around  Vera  Cruz,  their  dogs  frequently  told  me  by  bark- 
ing when  I  was  approaching  them  too  nearly.     .     .     .    " 

When  he  returned  to  Arlington  from  Mexico,  Spec  was 
the  first  to  recognise  him,  and  the  extravagance  of  his 
demonstrations  of  delight  left  no  doubt  that  he  knew 
at  once  his  kind  master  and  loving  friend,  though  he  had 
been  absent  three  years.  Sometime  during  our  residence 
in  Baltimore,  Spec  disappeared,  and  we  never  knew  his 
fate. 

From  that  early  time  I  began  to  be  impressed  with 
my  father's  character,  as  compared  with  other  men. 
Every  member  of  the  household  respected,  revered,  and 
loved  him  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  it  began  to  dawn  on 
me  that  every  one  else  with  whom  I  was  thrown  held  him 
high  in  their  regard.  At  forty-five  years  of  age  he  was 
active,  strong,  and  as  handsome  as  he  had  ever  been. 
I  never  remember  his  being  ill.  I  presume  he  was  in- 
disposed at  times;  but  no  impressions  of  that  kind  remain. 
He  was  always  bright  and  gay  with  us  little  folk — romping, 
playing,  and  joking  with  us.  With  the  older  children, 
he  was  just  as  companionable,  and  I  have  seen  him  join 
my  elder  brothers  and  their  friends  when  they  would 
try  their  powers  at  a  high  jump  put  up  in  our  yard.  The 
two  younger  children  he  petted  a  great  deal,  and  our 
greatest  treat  was  to  get  into  his  bed  in  the  morning  and 
lie  close  to  him,  listening  while  he  talked  to  us  in  his 
bright,  entertaining  way.  This  custom  we  kept  up  until 
I  was  ten  years  old  and  over.     Although  he  was  so  joyous 


Robert  E.  Lee  295 

and  familiar  with  us,  he  was  very  firm  on  all  proper  oc- 
casions, never  indulged  us  in  anything  that  was  not  good 
for  us,  and  exacted  the  most  implicit  obedience.  I 
always  knew  that  it  was  impossible  to  disobey  my  father. 
I  felt  it  in  me,  I  never  thought  why,  but  was  perfectly 
sure  when  he  gave  an  order  that  it  had  to  be  obeyed. 
My  mother  I  could  sometimes  circumvent,  and  at  times 
took  liberties  with  her  orders,  construing  them  to  suit 
myself;  but  exact  obedience  to  every  mandate  of  my 
father  was  a  part  of  my  life  and  being  at  that  time. 

In  January,  1849,  Captain  Lee  was  one  of  a  board  of 
army  officers  appointed  to  examine  the  coasts  of  Florida 
and  its  defences,  and  to  recommend  locations  for  new 
fortifications.  In  April  he  was  assigned  to  the  duty  of  the 
construction  of  Fort  Carroll,  in  the  Patapsco  River,  below 
Baltimore.  He  was  there,  I  think,  for  three  years,  and 
lived  in  a  house  on  Madison  Street,  three  doors  above 
Biddle.  I  used  to  go  down  with  him  to  the  Fort  quite 
often.  We  went  to  the  wharf  in  a  ''bus,"  and  there  we 
were  met  by  a  boat  with  two  oarsmen,  who  rowed  us 
down  to  Sollers  Point,  where  I  was  generally  left  under 
the  care  of  the  people  who  lived  there,  while  my  father 
went  over  to  the  Fort,  a  short  distance  out  in  the  river. 
These  days  were  very  happy  ones  for  me.  The  wharves, 
the  shipping,  the  river,  the  boat  and  oarsmen,  and  the 
country  dinner  we  had  at  the  house  at  Sollers  Point,  all 
made  a  strong  impression  on  me,  but  above  all  I  re- 
member my  father;  his  gentle,  loving  care  for  me,  his 
bright  talk,  his  stories,  his  maxims  and  teachings.  I  was 
very  proud  of  him  and  of  the  evident  respect  for  and  trust 
in  him  every  one  showed.  These  impressions,  obtained  at 
that  time,  have  never  left  me.     He  was  a  great  favourite  in 


296  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Baltimore,  as  he  was  everywhere,  especially  with  ladies 
and  little  children.  When  he  and  my  mother  went  out  in  the 
evening  to  some  entertainment,  we  were  often  allowed 
to  sit  up  and  see  them  off;  my  father,  as  I  remember, 
always  in  full  uniform,  always  ready  and  waiting  for  my 
mother,  who  was  generally  late.  He  would  then  chide  her 
gently,  in  a  playful  way  and  with  a  bright  smile.  He 
would  then  bid  us  good-bye,  and  I  would  go  to  sleep 
with  this  beautiful  picture  on  my  mind,  the  golden  epau- 
lets and  all — chiefly  the  epaulets. 

In  Baltimore,  I  went  to  my  first  school,  that  of  a  Mr. 
Rollins  on  Mulberry  Street,  and  I  remember  how  inter- 
ested my  father  was  in  my  studies,  my  failures,  and  my  lit- 
tle triumphs.  Indeed,  he  was  so  always,  as  long  as  I  was 
at  school  and  college,  and  I  only  wish  that  all  of  the  kind, 
sensible,  useful  letters  he  wrote  me  had  been  preserved. 

My  memory  as  to  the  move  from  Baltimore,  which 
occurred  in  1852,  is  very  dim.  I  think  the  family  went 
to  Arlington  to  remain  until  my  father  had  arranged  for 
our  removal  to  the  new  home  at  West  Point. 

My  recollection  of  my  father  as  Superintendent  of  the 
West  Point  Military  Academy  is  much  more  distinct. 
He  lived  in  the  house  which  is  still  occupied  by  the  Super- 
intendent. It  was  built  of  stone,  large  and  roomy,  with 
gardens,  stables,  and  pasture  lots.  We,  the  two  youngest 
children,  enjoyed  it  all.  Grace  Darling  and  Santa 
Anna"  were  with  us,  and  many  a  fine  ride  did  I  have 
with  my  father  in  the  afternoons,  when,  released  from 
his  ofl&ce,  he  would  mount  his  old  mare  and,  with  Santa 
Anna  carrying  me  by  his  side,  take  a  five  or  ten-mile  trot. 
Though  the  pony  cantered  delightfully,  he  would  make 
me  keep  him  in  a  trot,  saying  playfully  that  the  hammer- 
ing I  sustained  was  good  for  me.     We  rode  the  dragoon- 


Robert  E.  Lee  297 

seat,  no  posting,  and  until  I  became  accustomed  to  it  I 
used  to  be  very  tired  by  the  time  I  got  back. 

My  father  was  the  most  punctual  man  I  ever  knew. 
He  was  always  ready  for  family  prayers,  for  meals,  and 
met  every  engagement,  social  or  business,  at  the  moment. 
He  expected  all  of  us  to  be  the  same,  and  taught  us  the 
use  and  necessity  of  forming  such  habits  for  the  conven- 
ience of  all  concerned.  I  never  knew  him  late  for  Sunday 
service  at  the  Post  Chapel.  He  used  to  appear  some 
minutes  before  the  rest  of  us,  in  uniform,  jokingly  rallying 
my  mother  for  being  late,  and  for  forgetting  something 
at  the  last  moment.  When  he  could  wait  no  longer  for 
her,  he  would  say  that  he  was  off,  and  would  march  along 
to  church  by  himself  or  with  any  of  the  children  who 
were  ready.  There  he  sat  very  straight — well  up  the 
middle  aisle — and,  as  I  remember,  always  became  very 
sleepy,  and  sometimes  even  took  a  little  nap  during  the 
sermon.  At  that  time,  this  drowsiness  of  my  father's 
was  something  awful  to  me,  inexplicable.  I  know  it  was 
very  hard  for  me  to  keep  awake,  and  frequently  I  did  not; 
but  why  he,  who  to  my  mind  could  do  everything  that 
was  right  without  any  effort,  should  sometimes  be  over- 
come, I  could  not  understand,  and  did  not  try  to  do  so. 

It  was  against  the  rules  that  the  cadets  should  go  be- 
yond certain  limits  without  permission.  Of  course  they 
did  go  sometimes,  and  when  caught  were  given  quite 
a  number  of  "demerits."  My  father  was  riding  one 
afternoon  with  me,  and,  while  rounding  a  turn  in  the 
mountain  road  with  a  deep  woody  ravine  on  one  side,  we 
came  suddenly  upon  three  cadets  far  beyond  the  limits. 
They  immediately  leaped  over  a  low  wall  on  the  side  of 
the  road,  and  disappeared  from  our  view.  We  rode  on 
for  a  minute  in  silence;  then  my  father  said:     **  Did  you 


298  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

know  those  young  men?  But  no;  if  you  did,  don't  say 
so.  I  wish  boys  would  do  what  is  right,  it  would  be  so 
much  easier  for  all  parties!" 

He  knew  he  would  have  to  report  them,  but,  not  being 
sure  of  who  they  were,  I  presume  he  wished  to  give 
them  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  At  any  rate,  I  never 
heard  any  more  about  it.  One  of  the  three  asked  me 
next  day  if  my  father  had  recognised  them,  and  I  told 
him  what  had  occurred. 

By  this  time  I  had  become  old  enough  to  have  a  room 
to  myself,  and,  to  encourage  me  in  being  useful  and  prac- 
tical, my  father  made  me  attend  to  it,  just  as  the  cadets 
had  to  do  with  their  quarters  in  barracks  and  in  camp. 
He  at  first  even  went  through  the  form  of  inspecting  it,  to 
see  if  I  had  performed  my  duty  properly,  and  I  think  I 
enjoyed  this  until  the  novelty  wore  off.  However,  I  was 
kept  at  it,  becoming  in  time  very  proficient,  and  the 
knowledge  so  accquired  has  been  of  great  use  to  me  all 
through  life. 

My  father  always  encouraged  me  in  every  healthy  out- 
door exercise  and  sport.  He  taught  me  to  ride,  con- 
stantly giving  me  minute  instructions,  with  the  reasons 
for  them.  He  gave  me  my  first  sled,  and  sometimes 
used  to  come  out  where  we  boys  were  coasting  to  look  on. 
He  gave  me  my  first  pair  of  skates,  and  placed  me  in  the 
care  of  a  trustworthy  person,  inquiring  regularly  how  I 
progressed.  It  was  the  same  with  swimming,  which  he 
was  very  anxious  I  should  learn  in  a  proper  manner. 
Professor  Bailey  had  a  son  about  my  age,  now  himself  a 
professor  of  Brown  University,  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  who  became  my  great  chum.  I  took  my  first 
lesson  in  the  water  with  him,  under  the  direction  and 
supervision   of   his   father.     My   father   inquired   con- 


Robert  E.  Lee  299 

stantly  how  I  was  getting  along,  and  made  me  describe 
exactly  my  method  and  stroke,  explaining  to  me  what  he 
considered  the  best  way  to  swim,  and  the  reasons  therefor. 
I  went  to  a  day  school  at  West  Point,  and  had  always 
a  sympathetic  helper  in  my  father.  Often  he  would  come 
into  my  room  where  I  studied  at  night,  and,  sitting  down 
by  me,  would  show  me  how  to  overcome  a  hard  sentence 
in  my  Latin  reader  or  a  difficult  sum  in  arithmetic,  not 
by  giving  me  the  translation  of  the  troublesome  sentence 
or  the  answer  to  the  sum,  but  by  showing  me,  step  by 
step,  the  way  to  the  right  solutions.  He  was  very  patient, 
very  loving,  very  good  to  me,  and  I  remember  trying  my 
best  to  please  him  in  my  studies.  When  I  was  able  to 
bring  home  a  good  report  from  my  teacher,  he  was  greatly 
pleased,  and  showed  it  in  his  eye  and  voice,  but  he  always 
insisted  that  I  should  get  the  "maximum,"  that  he  would 
never  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  less.  That  I  did  some- 
times win  it,  deservedly,  I  know  was  due  to  his  judicious 
and  wise  method  of  exciting  my  ambition  and  persever- 
ance. I  have  endeavoured  to  show  how  fond  my  father 
was  of  his  children,  and  as  the  best  picture  I  can  offer  of 
his  loving,  tender  devotion  to  us  all,  I  give  here  a  letter 
from  him  written  about  this  time  to  one  of  his  daughters 
who  was  staying  with  our  grandmother,  Mrs.  Custis,  at 
Arlington: 

"West Point,  February  25,  1853. 
"My  precious  Annie:  I  take  advantage  of  your  gra- 
cious permission  to  write  to  you,  and  there  is  no  telling  how 
far  my  feelings  might  carry  me  were  I  not  limited  by  the 
conveyance  furnished  by  the  Mim's*  letter,  which  lies 
before  me,  and  which  must,  the  Mim  says  so,  go  in  this 
morning's  mail.  But  my  limited  time  does  not  diminish 
my  affection  for  you,  Annie,  nor  prevent  my  thinking  of 

*  His  pet  name  for  my  mother. 


300  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Ktww 

you  and  wishing  for  you.  I  long  to  see  you  through  the 
dilatory  nights.  At  dawn  when  I  rise,  and  all  day,  my 
thoughts  revert  to  you  in  expressions  that  you  cannot  hear 
or  I  repeat.  I  hope  you  will  always  appear  to  me  as  you 
are  now  painted  on  my  heart,  and  that  you  will  endeavour 
to  improve  and  so  conduct  yourself  as  to  make  you  happy 
and  me  joyful  all  our  lives.  Diligent  and  earnest  atten- 
tion to  all  your  duties  can  only  accomplish  this.  I  am 
told  you  are  growing  very  tall,  and  I  hope  very  straight. 
I  do  not  know  what  the  cadets  will  say  if  the  Superinten- 
dent's children  do  not  practice  what  he  demands  of  them. 
They  will  naturally  say  he  had  better  attend  to  his  own 
before  he  corrects  other  people's  children,  and  as  he 
permits  his  to  stoop  it  is  hard  he  will  not  allow  them. 
You  and  Agnes*  must  not,  therefore,  bring  me  into  dis- 
credit with  my  young  friends,  or  give  them  reason  to  think 
that  I  require  more  of  them  than  of  my  own.  I  presume 
your  mother  has  told  all  about  us,  our  neighbours  and  our 
affairs.  And  indeed  she  may  have  done  that  and  not  said 
much  either,  so  far  as  I  know.  But  we  are  all  well  and 
have  much  to  be  grateful  for.  To-morrow  we  anticipate 
the  pleasure  of  your  brother'sf  company,  which  is  always 
a  source  of  pleasure  to  us.  It  is  the  only  time  we  see 
him,  except  when  the  Corps  come  under  my  view  at  some 
of  their  exercises,  when  my  eye  is  sure  to  distinguish  him 
among  his  comrades  and  follow  him  over  the  plain.  Give 
much  love  to  your  dear  grandmother,  grandfather,  Agnes, 
Miss  Sue,  Lucretia,  and  all  friends,  including  the  servants. 
Write  sometimes,  and  think  always  of  your 
"Affectionate  father, 

"R.  E.  Lee." 

In  a  letter  to  my  mother,  written  many  years  previous 
to  this,  he  says: 

*T  pray  God  to  watch  over  and  direct  our  efforts  in 
guarding  our  dear  little  son.  .  .  .  Oh,  what  pleasure 
I  lose  in  being  separated  from  my  children!  Nothing 
can  compensate  me  for  that.    ..." 

*  His  third  daughter. 
t  His  son,  Curtis. 


Robert  E.  Lee  301 

In  another  letter  of  about  the  same  time: 

'*You  do  not  know  how  much  I  have  missed  you  and 
the  children,  my  dear  Mary.  To  be  alone  in  a  crowd  is 
very  solitary.  In  the  woods,  I  feel  sympathy  with  the 
trees  and  birds,  in  whose  company  I  take  delight,  but 
experience  no  pleasure  in  a  strange  crowd.  I  hope  you 
are  all  well  and  will  continue  so,  and,  therefore,  must 
again  urge  you  to  be  very  prudent  and  careful  of  those 
dear  children.  If  I  could  only  get  a  squeeze  at  that  little 
fellow,  turning  up  his  sweet  mouth  to  'keese  baba ! '  You 
must  not  let  him  run  wild  in  my  absence,  and  will  have 
to  exercise  firm  authority  over  all  of  them.  This  will 
not  require  severity  or  even  strictness,  but  constant  atten- 
tion and  an  unwavering  course.  Mildness  and  forebear- 
ance  will  strengthen  their  affection  for  you,  while  it  will 
maintain  your  control  over  them." 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sons  he  writes  as  follows : 

"I  cannot  go  to  bed,  my  dear  son,  without  writing  you 
a  few  lines  to  thank  you  for  your  letter,  which  gave  me 
great  pleasure  .  .  .  You  and  Custis  must  take  great 
care  of  your  kind  mother  and  dear  sisters  when  your  father 
is  dead.  To  do  that  you  must  learn  to  be  good.  Be  true, 
kind  and  generous,  and  pray  earnestly  to  God  to  enable 
you  to  keep  His  Commandments  'and  walk  in  the  same 
all  the  days  of  your  life.'  I  hope  to  come  on  soon  to  see 
that  little  baby  you  have  got  to  show  me.  You  must  give 
her  a  kiss  for  me,  and  one  to  all  the  children,  to  your 
mother,  and  grandmother. " 

The  expression  of  such  sentiments  as  these  was  com- 
mon to  my  father  all  through  his  life,  and  to  show  that  it 
was  all  children  and  not  his  own  little  folk  alone  that 
charmed  and  fascinated  him,  I  quote  from  a  letter  to  my 
mother: 

''  ...  I  saw  a  number  of  little  girls  all  dressed 
vp  in  their  white  frocks  and  pantalets,  their  hair  plaited 


302  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  tied  up  with  ribbons,  running  and  chasing  each  other 
in  all  directions.  I  counted  twenty-three  nearly  the 
same  size.  As  I  drew  up  my  horse  to  admire  the  spec- 
tacle, a  man  appeared  at  the  door  with  the  twenty-fourth 
in  his  arms. 

"  'My  friend,'  said  I,  'are  all  these  your  children?' 

*'  *  Yes,'  he  said,  'and  there  are  nine  more  in  the  house, 
and  this  is  the  youngest.' 

"  Upon  further  inquiry,  however,  I  found  that  they  were 
only  temporarily  his,  and  that  they  were  invited  to  a  party 
at  his  house.  He  said,  however,  he  had  been  admiring 
them  before  I  came  up,  and  just  wished  that  he  had  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  that  they  were  all  his  in  reality. 
I  do  not  think  the  eldest  exceeded  seven  or  eight  years 
old.  It  was  the  prettiest  sight  I  have  seen  in  the  west, 
and,  perhaps,  in  my  life.     ..." 

As  Superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point  my  father  had  to  entertain  a  good  deal,  and  I  re- 
member well  how  handsome  and  grand  he  looked  in 
uniform,  how  genial  and  bright,  how  considerate  of 
everybody's  comfort  of  mind  and  body.  He  was  always 
a  great  favourite  with  the  ladies,  especially  the  young 
ones.  His  fine  presence,  his  gentle,  courteous  manners 
and  kindly  smile  put  them  at  once  at  ease  with  him. 

Among  the  cadets  at  this  time  were  my  eldest  brother, 
Custis,  who  graduated  first  in  his  class  in  1854,  and  my 
father's  nephew,  Fitz  Lee,  a  third  classman,  besides 
other  relatives  and  friends.  Saturday  being  a  half- 
holiday  for  the  cadets,  it  was  the  custom  for  all  social 
events  in  which  they  were  to  take  part  to  be  placed  on 
that  afternoon  or  evening.  Nearly  every  Saturday  a 
number  of  these  young  men  were  invited  to  our  house  to 
tea,  or  supper,  for  it  was  a  good,  substantial  meal.  The 
misery  of  some  of  these  lads,  owing  to  embarrassment, 
possibly  from  awe  of  the  Superintendent,  was  pitiable  and 
evident  even  to  me,  a  boy  of  ten  or  twelve  years  old.     But 


Robert  E.  Lee 


ZOZ 


as  soon  as  my  father  got  command,  as  it  were,  of  the 
situation,  one  could  see  how  quickly  most  of  them  were 
put  at  their  ease.  He  would  address  himself  to  the  task 
of  making  them  feel  comfortable  and  at  home,  and  his 
genial  manner  and  pleasant  ways  at  once  succeeded. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  my  grandmother,  Mrs.  Custis, 
died.  This  was  the  first  death  in  our  immediate 
family.  She  was  very  dear  to  us,  and  was  admired, 
esteemed,  and  loved  by  all  who  had  ever  known  her. 
Bishop  Meade,  of  Virginia,  writes  of  her: 

''Mrs.  Mary  Custis,  of  Arlington,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Wash- 
ington Custis,  grandson  of  Mrs.  General  Washington, 
was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Fitzhugh,  of  Chatham. 
Scarcely  is  there  a  Christian  lady  in  our  land  more 
honoured  than  she  was,  and  none  more  loved  and 
esteemed.  For  good  sense,  prudence,  sincerity,  benevo- 
lence, unaffected  piety,  disinterested  zeal  in  every  good 
work,  deep  humanity  and  retiring  modesty — for  all  the 
virtues  which  adorn  the  wife,  the  mother,  and  the  friend 
— I  never  knew  her  superior." 

In  a  letter  written  to  my  mother  soon  after  this  sad 
event  my  father  says: 

"May  God  give  you  strength  to  enable  you  to  bear  and 
say,  'His  will  be  done.'  She  has  gone  from  all  trouble, 
care  and  sorrow  to  a  holy  immortality,  there  to  rejoice 
and  praise  forever  the  God  and  Saviour  she  so  long  and 
truly  Served.  Let  that  be  our  comfort  and  that  our  con- 
solation. May  our  death  be  like  hers,  and  may  we  meet 
in  happiness  in  Heaven." 

In  another  letter  about  the  same  time  he  writes : 

''She  was  to  me  all  that  a  mother  could  be,  and  I  yield 
to  none  in  admiration  for  her  character,  love  for  her  vir- 
tues, and  veneration  for  her  memory." 


304  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

At  this  time,  my  father's  family  and  friends  persuaded 
him  to  allow  R.  S.  Weir,  Professor  of  Painting  and  Draw- 
ing at  the  Academy,  to  paint  his  portrait.  As  far  as  I 
remember,  there  was  only  one  sitting,  and  the  artist  had 
to  finish  it  from  memory  or  from  the  glimpses  he  obtained 
of  his  subject  in  the  regular  course  of  their  daily  lives  at 
''The  Point."  This  picture  shows  my  father  in  the  un- 
dress uniform  of  a  Colonel  of  Engineers,*  and  many 
think  it  a  very  good  likeness.  To  me,  the  expression  of 
strength  peculiar  to  his  face  is  wanting,  and  the  mouth 
fails  to  portray  that  sweetness  of  disposition  so  char- 
acteristic of  his  countenance.  Still,  it  was  like  him  at 
that  time.  My  father  r^ever  could  bear  to  have  his  pic- 
ture taken,  and  there  are  no  likenesses  of  him  that  really 
give  his  sweet  expression.  Sitting  for  a  picture  was  such 
a  serious  business  with  him  that  he  never  could  "look 
pleasant." 

In  1855  my  father  was  appointed  to  the  lieutenant- 
colonelcy  of  the  Second  Cavalry,  one  of  the  two  regiments 
just  raised.  He  left  West  Point  to  enter  upon  his  new 
duties,  and  his  family  went  to  Arlington  to  live.  During 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1855  and  '56,  the  Second  Cavalry 
was  recruited  and  organised  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mis- 
souri, under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Lee,  and  in  the 
following  spring  was  marched  to  western  Texas,  where  it 
was  assigned  the  duty  of  protecting  the  settlers  in  that 
wild  country. 

I  did  not  see  my  father  again  until  he  came  to  my 
mother  at  Arlington  after  the  death  of  her  father,  G.  W. 
P.  Custis,  in  October,  1857.  He  took  charge  of  my 
mother's  estate  after  her  father's  death,  and  commenced 


*  His  appointment  of  Superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy  carried 
^ith  it  the  temporary  rank  of  Colonel  of  Engineers. 


Robert  E.  Lee  305 

at  once  to  put  it  in  order — not  an  easy  task,  as  it  con- 
sisted of  several  plantations  and  many  negroes.  I  was  at 
a  boarding-school,  after  the  family  returned  to  Arlington, 
and  saw  my  father  only  during  the  holidays,  if  he  hap- 
pened to  be  at  home.  He  was  always  fond  of  farming, 
and  took  great  interest  in  the  improvements  he  imme- 
diately began  at  Arlington  relating  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  farm,  to  the  buildings,  roads,  fences,  fields,  and  stock, 
so  that  in  a  very  short  time  the  appearance  of  everything 
on  the  estate  was  improved.  He  often  said  that  he 
longed  for  the  time  when  he  could  have  a  farm  of  his  own, 
where  he  could  end  his  days  in  quiet  and  peace,  inter- 
ested in  the  care  and  improvement  of  his  own  land. 
This  idea  was  always  with  him.  In  a  letter  to  his  son, 
written  in  July,  1865,  referring  to  some  proposed  indict- 
ments of  prominent  Confederates,  he  says : 

"...  As  soon  as  I  can  ascertain  their  intention 
toward  me,  if  not  prevented,  I  shall  endeavour  to  procure 
some  humble,  but  quiet  abode  for  your  mother  and  sis- 
ters, where  I  hope  they  can  be  happy.  As  I  before  said, 
I  want  to  get  in  some  grass  country  where  the  natural 
product  of  the  land  will  do  much  for  my  subsistence. 

Again  in  a  letter  to  his  son,  dated  October,  1865,  after 
he  had  accepted  the  presidency  of  Washington  College, 
Lexington,  Virginia: 

''I  should  have  selected  a  more  quiet  life  and  a  more 
retired  abode  than  Lexington.  I  should  have  preferred 
a  small  farm,  where  I  could  have  earned  my  daily  bread." 

About  this  time  I  was  given  a  gun  of  my  own,  and  was 
allowed  to  go  shooting  by  myself.  My  father,  to  give  me 
an  incentive,  offered  a  reward  for  every  crow-scalp  I 
could  bring  him,  and,  in  order  that  I  might  get  to  work  at 


3o6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

.once,  advanced  a  small  sum  with  which  to  buy  powder 
and  shot,  this  sum  to  be  returned  to  him  out  of  the  first 
scalps  obtained.  My  industry  and  zeal  were  great,  my 
hopes  high,  and  by  good  luck  I  did  succeed  in  bagging 
two  crows  about  the  second  time  I  went  out.  I  showed 
them  with  great  pride  to  my  father,  intimating  that  I 
should  shortly  be  able  to  return  him  his  loan,  and  that 
he  must  be  prepared  to  hand  over  to  me  very  soon  further 
rewards  for  my  skill.  His  eyes  twinkled,  and  his  smile 
showed  that  he  had  strong  doubts  of  my  making  an  in- 
come by  killing  crows,  and  he  was  right,  for  I  never 
killed  another,  though  I  tried  hard  and  long. 

I  saw  but  little  of  my  father  after  we  left  West  Point. 
He  went  to  Texas,  as  I  have  stated,  in  '55  and  remained 
until  the  fall  of  '57,  the  time  of  my  grandfather's  death. 
He  was  then  at  Arlington  about  a  year.  Returning  to 
his  regiment,  he  remained  in  Texas  until  the  autumn  of 
'59,  when  he  came  again  to  Arlington,  having  applied  for 
leave  in  order  to  finish  the  settling  of  my  grandfather's 
estate.  During  this  visit  he  was  selected  by  the  Secretary 
of  War  to  suppress  the  famous  "■  John  Brown  Raid,"  and 
was  sent  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  command  of  the  United 
States  troops. 

From  his  memorandum  book  the  following  entries  are 
taken : 

"October  17,  1859.  Received  orders  from  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  in  person,  to  repair  in  evening  train  to  Har- 
per's Ferry. 

"  Reached  Harper's  Ferry  at  1 1  p.  M.  .  .  .  Posted 
marines  in  the  United  States  Armory.  Waited  until 
daylight,  as  a  number  of  citizens  were  held  as  hostages, 
whose  lives  were  threatened.  Tuesday  about  sunrise, 
with  twelve  marines,  under  Lieutenant  Green,  broke  in 
the  door  of  the  engine-house,  secured  the  insurgents  and 


Robert  E.  Lee  307 

relieved  the  prisoners  unhurt.  All  the  insurgents  killed 
or  mortally  wounded,  but  four,  John  Brown,  Stevens, 
Coppie,  and  Shields." 

Brown  was  tried  and  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be 
hanged  on  December  2,  1859.  Colonel  Lee  writes  as 
follows  to  his  wife: 

''Harper's  Ferry,  December  i,  1859. 

"I  arrived  here,  dearest  Mary,  yesterday  about  noon, 
with  four  companies  from  Fort  Monroe,  and  was  busy  all 
the  evening  and  night  getting  accommodation  for  the 
men,  etc.,  and  posting  sentinels  and  pickets  to  insure 
timely  notice  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  The  night 
has  passed  off  quietly.  The  feelings  of  the  community 
seemed  to  be  calmed  down,  and  I  have  been  received 
with  every  kindness.  Mr.  Fry  is  among  the  officers  from 
Old  Point.  There  are  several  young  men,  former  ac- 
quaintance of  ours,  as  cadets,  Mr.  Bingham  of  Custis's 
class,  Sam  Cooper,  etc.,  but  the  senior  officers  I  never 
met  before,  except  Captain  Howe,  the  friend  of  our  Cousin 
Harriet  R . 

"I  presume  we  are  fixed  here  till  after  the  i6th.  To- 
morrow will  probably  be  the  last  of  Captain  Brown. 
There  will  be  less  interest  for  the  others,  but  still  I  think 
the  troops  will  not  be  withdrawn  till  they  are  similarly 
disposed  of. 

"Custis  will  have  informed  you  that  I  had  to  go  to 
Baltimore  the  evening  that  I  left  you,  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  transportation  for  the  troops.  .  .  .  This 
morning  I  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  Brown,  who,  with  a 
Mrs.  Tyndall  and  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKim,  all  from  Phila- 
delphia, had  come  on  to  have  a  last  interview  with  her  hus- 
band. As  it  is  a  matter  over  which  I  have  no  control  I 
referred  them  to  General  Taliaferro.* 

''You  must  write  to  me  at  this  place.  I  hope  you  are 
all  well.     Give  love  to  everybody.     Tell  Smithf  that  no 

♦General   William    B.    Taliaferro,    commanding    Virginia  troops  at 
Harper's  Ferry. 
t  Sidney  Smith  Lee,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  his  brother. 


3o8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

charming  women  have  insisted  on  taking  care  of  me  as 
they  are  always  doing  of  him — I  am  left  to  my  own 
resources.  I  will  write  you  again  soon,  and  will  always 
be  truly  and  affectionately  yours, 

^'R.  E.  Lee. 
"Mrs.  M.C.Lee." 

In  February,  i860,  he  was  ordered  to  take  command 
of  the  Department  of  Texas.  There  he  remained  a 
year.  The  first  months  after  his  arrival  were  spent  in 
the  vain  pursuit  of  the  famous  brigand,  Cortinez,  who 
was  continually  stealing  across  the  Rio  Grande,  burning 
the  homes,  driving  off  the  stock  of  the  ranchmen,  and 
then  retreating  into  Mexico.  The  summer  months  he 
spent  in  San  Antonio,  and  while  there  interested  himself 
with  the  good  people  of  that  town  in  building  an  Episcopal 
church,  to  which  he  contributed  largely. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE  YOUTH  OF   LINCOLN 

HE  WAS  long;  he  was  strong;  he  was  wiry.  He 
was  never  sick,  was  always  good-natured,  never 
a  bully,  always  a  friend  of  the  weak,  the  small  and 
the  unprotected.  He  must  have  been  a  funny-look- 
ing boy.  His  skin  was  sallow,  and  his  hair  was  black, 
He  wore  a  linsey-woolsey  shirt,  buckskin  breeches,  a  coon- 
skin  cap,  and  heavy  "  clumps  '*  of  shoes.  He  grew  so  fast 
that  his  breeches  never  came  down  to  the  tops  of  his  shoes, 
and,  instead  of  stockings,  you  could  always  see  ''twelve 
inches  of  shinbones,"  sharp,  blue,  and  narrow.  He 
laughed  much,  was  always  ready  to  give  and  take  jokes 
and  hard  knocks,  had  a  squeaky,  changing  voice,  a  small 
head,  big  ears — and  was  always  what  Thackeray  called 
*'a  gentle-man."     Such  was  Abraham  Lincoln  at  fifteen. 

He  was  never  cruel,  mean,  or  unkind.  His  first  compo- 
sition was  on  cruelty  to  animals,  written  because  he  had 
tried  to  make  the  other  boys  stop  "teasin'  tarrypins" — 
that  is,  catching  turtles  and  putting  hot  coals  on  their 
backs  just  to  make  them  move  along  lively.  He  had  to 
work  hard  at  home;  for  his  father  would  not,  and  things 
needed  to  be  attended  to  if  'Hhe  place"  was  to  be  kept 
from  dropping  to  pieces. 

He  became  a  great  reader.  He  read  every  book  and 
newspaper  he  could  get  hold  of,  and  if  he  came  across  any- 
thing in  his  reading  that  he  wished  to  remember  he 
would  copy  it  on  a  shingle,  because  writing  paper  was 
309 


3IO  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

scarce,  and  either  learn  it  by  heart  or  hide  the  shingle 
away  until  he  could  get  some  paper  to  copy  it  on. 
His  father  thought  he  read  too  much.  "  It  will  spile 
him  for  work,"  he  said.  ''He  don't  do  half  enough 
about  the  place,  as  it  is,  now,  and  books  and  papers 
ain't  no  good."  But  Abraham,  with  all  his  reading,  did 
more  work  than  his  father  any  day;  his  stepmother,  too, 
took  his  side  and  at  last  got  her  husband  to  let  the  boy 
read  and  study  at  home.  "Abe  was  a  good  son  to  me," 
she  said,  many  many  years  after,  "and  we  took  particular 
care  when  he  was  reading  not  to  disturb  him.  We  would 
just  let  him  read  on  and  on  till  he  quit  of  his  own  ac- 
cord." 

The  boy  kept  a  sort  of  shingle  scrap-book;  he  kept  a 
paper  scrap-book,  too.  Into  these  he  would  put  what- 
ever he  cared  to  keep — poetry,  history,  funny  sayings,  fine 
passages.  He  had  a  scrap-book  for  his  arithmetic 
"sums,"  too,  and  one  of  these  is  still  in  existence  with  this 
boyish  rhyme  in  a  boyish  scrawl,  underneath  one  of  his 
tables  of  weights  and  measures: 

Abraham  Lincoln 
his  hand  and  pen 
he  will  be  good  but 
god  knows  when. 

God  did  know  when;  and  that  boy,  all  unconsciously,  was 
working  toward  the  day  when  his  hand  and  pen  were  to  do 
more  for  humanity  than  any  other  hand  or  pen  of  modern 
times. 

Lamps  and  candle.-^  were  almost  unknown  in  his  home, 
and  Abraham,  flat  on  his  stomach,  would  often  do  his 
reading, writing,  and  ciphering  in  the  firelight,  as  it  flashed 
and  flickered  on  the  big  hearth  of  his  log-cabin  home.  An 
older  cousin,  John  Hanks,  who  lived  for  a  while  with  the 


The  Youth  of  Lincoln  311 

Lincolns,  says  that  when  ''Abe,"  as  he  always  called 
the  great  President,  would  come  home,  as  a  boy,  from  his 
work,  he  would  go  to  the  cupboard,  take  a  piece  of  corn 
bread  for  his  supper,  sit  down  on  a  chair,  stretch  out  his 
long  legs  until  they  were  higher  than  his  head — and  read, 
and  read,  and  read.  *'Abe  and  I,"  said  John  Hanks, 
''worked  barefoot;  grubbed  it,  ploughed  it,  mowed  and 
cradled  it;  ploughed  corn,  gathered  corn,  and  shucked 
corn,  and  Abe  read  constantly  whenever  he  could  get 
a  chance." 

One  day  Abraham  found  that  a  man  for  whom  he 
sometimes  worked  owned  a  copy  of  Weems's  "Life  of 
Washington."  This  was  a  famous  book  in  its  day. 
Abraham  borrowed  it  at  once.  When  he  was  not  reading 
it,  he  put  it  away  on  a  shelf — a  clapboard  resting  on 
wooden  pins.  There  was  a  big  crack  between  the  logs, 
behind  the  shelf,  and  one  rainy  day  the  "Life  of  Wash- 
ington" fell  into  the  crack  and  was  soaked  almost  into 
pulp.  Old  Mr.  Crawford,  from  whom  Abraham  bor- 
rowed the  book,  was  a  cross,  cranky,  and  sour  old  fellow, 
and  when  the  boy  told  him  of  the  accident  he  said  Abra- 
ham must  "work  the  book  out." 

The  boy  agreed,  and  the  old  farmer  kept  him  so  strictly 
to  his  promise  that  he  made  him  "pull  fodder"  for  the 
cattle  three  days,  as  payment  for  the  book!  And  that  is 
the  way  that  Abraham  Lincoln  bought  his  first  book. 
For  he  dried  the  copy  of  Weems's  "Life  of  Washington" 
and  put  it  in  his  "library."  But  what  boy  or  girl  of  to- 
day would  like  to  buy  books  at  such  a  price  ? 

This  was  the  boy-life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  was  a 
life  of  poverty,  privation,  hard  work,  little  play,  and  less 
money.  The  boy  did  not  love  work.  But  he  worked. 
His  father  was  rough  and  often  harsh  and  hard  to  him, 


312  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  what  Abraham  learned  was  by  making  the  most  of 
his  spare  time.  He  was  inquisitive,  active,  and  hardy, 
and,  in  his  comfortless  boyhood,  he  was  learning  lessons 
of  self-denial,  independence,  pluck,  shrewdness,  kindness, 
and  persistence. 

In  the  spring  of  1830,  there  was  another  "moving 
time"  for  the  Lincolns.  The  corn  and  the  cattle,  the 
farm  and  its  hogs  were  all  sold  at  public  "vandoo,"  or 
auction,  at  low  figures;  and  with  all  their  household 
goods  on  a  big  ''ironed"  wagon  drawn  by  four  oxen,  the 
three  related  families  of  Hanks,  Hall  and  Lincoln,  thir- 
teen in  all,  pushed  on  through  the  mud  and  across  rivers, 
high  from  the  spring  freshets,  out  of  Indiana,  into  Illinois. 

Abraham  held  the  "gad"  and  guided  the  oxen.  He 
carried  with  him,  also,  a  little  stock  of  pins,  needles, 
thread, and  buttons.  These  he  peddled  along  the  way; 
and,  at  last,  after  fifteen  days  of  slow  travel,  the  emigrants 
came  to  the  spot  picked  out  for  a  home.  This  time  it  was 
on  a  small  bluff  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Sangamon  River, 
ten  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Decatur.  The  usual  log 
house  was  built;  the  boys,  with  the  oxen,  "broke  up," 
or  cleared,  fifteen  acres  of  land,  and  split  enough  rails  to 
fence  it  in.  Abraham  could  swing  his  broad-axe  better 
than  any  man  or  boy  in  the  West ;  at  one  stroke  he  could 
bury  the  axe-blade  to  the  haft,  in  a  log,  and  he  was  already 
famous  as  an  expert  rail-splitter. 

By  this  time  his  people  were  settled  in  their  new  home, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  twenty-one.  He  was  "of  age" — 
he  was  a  man !  By  the  law  of  the  land  he  was  freed  from 
his  father's  control;  he  could  shift  for  himself,  and  he 
determined  to  do  so.  This  did  not  mean  that  he  disliked 
his  father.  It  simply  meant  that  he  had  no  intention  of 
following  his  father's  example.    Thomas  Lincoln  had 


The  Youth  of  Lincoln  313 

demanded  all  the  work  and  all  the  wages  his  son  could 
earn  or  do,  and  Abraham  felt  that  he  could  not  have  a  fair 
chance  to  accomplish  anything  or  get  ahead  in  the  world 
if  he  continued  living  with  this  shiftless,  never-satisfied, 
do-nothing  man. 

So  he  struck  out  for  himself.  In  the  summer  of  1830, 
Abraham  left  home  and  hired  out  on  his  own  account, 
wherever  he  could  get  a  job  in  the  new  country  into  which 
he  had  come.  In  that  region  of  big  farms  and  no  fences, 
these  latter  were  needed,  and  Abraham  Lincoln's  stal- 
wart arm  and  well-swung  axe  came  well  into  play,  cutting 
up  logs  for  fences.  He  was  what  was  called  in  that 
western  country  a  "rail-splitter."  Indeed,  one  of  the 
first  things  he  did  when  he  struck  out  for  himself  was  to 
split  four  hundred  rails  for  every  yard  of  "blue  jeans" 
necessary  to  make  him  a  pair  of  trousers.  From  which  it 
will  be  seen  that  work  was  easier  to  get  than  clothes. 

He  soon  became  as  much  of  a  favourite  in  Illinois  as 
he  had  been  in  Indiana.  Other  work  came  to  him,  and, 
in  1 83 1,  he  "hired  out"  with  a  man  named  Offutt  to 
help  sail  a  flat-boat  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans. 
Mr.  Offutt  had  heard  that  "Abe  Lincoln"  was  a  good 
river-hand,  strong,  steady,  honest,  reliable,  accustomed 
to  boating,  and  that  he  had  already  made  one  trip  down 
the  river.  So  he  engaged  young  Lincoln  at  what  seemed 
to  the  young  rail-splitter  princely  wages — fifty  cents  a 
day,  and  a  third  share  in  the  sixty  dollars  which  was  to 
be  divided  among  the  three  boatmen  at  the  end  of  the 
trip. 

They  built  the  flat-boat  at  a  saw  mill  near  a  place 
called  Sangamon  town,  "Abe"  serving  as  cook  of  the 
camp  while  the  boat  was  being  built.  Then,  loading 
the  craft  with  barrel-pork,  hogs,  and  corn,  they  started 


314  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

on  their  voyage  south.  At  a  place  called  New  Salem 
the  flat-boat  ran  aground;  but  Lincoln's  ingenuity  got 
it  off.  He  rigged  up  a  queer  contrivance  of  his  own 
invention  and  lifted  the  boat  off  and  over  the  obstruction, 
while  all  New  Salem  stood  on  the  bank,  first  to  criticise 
and  then  to  applaud. 

Just  what  this  invention  was  I  cannot  explain.  But 
if  you  ever  go  into  the  patent  office  at  Washington,  ask 
to  see  Abraham  Lincoln's  patent  for  transporting  river 
boats  over  snags  and  shoals.  The  wooden  model  is 
there;  for,  so  pleased  was  Lincoln  with  the  success  that 
he  thought  seriously  of  becoming  an  inventor,  and  his  first 
design  was  the  patent  granted  to  him  in  1849,  the  idea 
for  which  grew  out  of  this  successful  floating  of 
Offutt's  flat-boat  over  the  river  snags  at  New  Salem 
nineteen  years  before. 

Once  again  he  visited  New  Orleans,  returning  home, 
as  before,  by  steamboat.  That  voyage  is  remarkable, 
because  it  first  opened  young  Lincoln's  eyes  to  the 
enormity  of  African  slavery.  Of  course,  he  had  seen 
slaves  before;  but  the  sight  of  a  slave  sale  in  the  old 
market  place  of  New  Orleans  seems  to  have  aroused 
his  anger  and  given  him  an  intense  hatred  of  slave- 
holding.  He,  himself,  declared,  years  after,  that  it 
was  that  visit  to  New  Orleans,  that  had  set  him  so 
strongly  against  slavery. 

There  is  a  story  told  by  one  of  his  companions  that 
Lincoln  looked  for  a  while  upon  the  dreadful  scenes  of 
the  slave  market  and  then,  turning  away,  said  excitedly, 
"Come  away,  boys!  If  I  ever  get  a  chance,  some  day, 
to  hit  that  thing" — and  he  flung  his  long  arm  toward 
the  dreadful  auction  block— ''I'll  hit  it  hard." 

Soon  after  he  returned  from  his  flat-boat  trip  to  New 


The  Youth  of  Lincoln  315 

Orleans  he  had  an  opportunity  to  show  that  he  could  not 
and  would  not  stand  what  is  termed  "foul  play."  The 
same  Mr.  Offutt  who  had  hired  Lincoln  to  be  one  of 
his  flat-boat  "boys,"  gave  him  another  opportunity 
for  work.  Offutt  was  what  is  called  in  the  West  a 
"hustler";  he  had  lots  of  "great  ideas"  and  plans  for 
making  money;  and,  among  his  numerous  enterprises, 
was  one  to  open  a  country  store  and  mill  at  New  Salem — 
the  very  same  village  on  the  Sangamon  where,  by  his 
"patent  invention,"  Lincoln  had  lifted  the  flat-boat  ofif 
the  snags. 

Mr.  Offutt  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  Lincoln,  and 
offered  him  a  place  as  clerk  in  the  New  Salem  store.  The 
young  fellow  jumped  at  the  chance.  It  seemed  to  him 
quite  an  improvement  on  being  a  farm-hand,  a  flat-boat- 
man, or  a  rail-splitter.  It  was,  indeed,  a  step  upward; 
for  it  gave  him  better  opportunities  for  self-instruction 
and  more  chances  for  getting  ahead. 

Offutt's  store  was  a  favourite  "loafing  place"  for  the 
New  Salem  boys  and  young  men.  Among  these,  were 
some  of  the  roughest  fellows  in  the  settlement.  They 
were  known  as  the  "Clary  Grove  Boys,"  and  they  were 
always  ready  for  a  fight,  in  which  they  would,  sometimes, 
prove  themselves  to  be  bullies  and  tormentors.  When, 
therefore,  Offutt  began  to  brag  about  his  new  clerk  the 
Clary  Grove  Boys  made  fun  at  him;  whereupon  the 
storekeeper  cried:  "What's  that?  You  can  throw 
him?  Well,  I  reckon  not;  Abe  Lincoln  can  out-run, 
out-walk,  out-rassle,  knock  out,  and  throw  down  any 
man  in  Sangamon  County."  This  was  too  much  for 
the  Clary  Grove  Boys.  They  took  up  Offutt's  chal- 
lenge, and,  against  "Abe,"  set  up,  as  their  champion 
and  "best  man,"  one  Jack  Armstrong. 


3i6  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

All  this  was  done  without  Lincoln's  knowledge.  He 
had  no  desire  to  get  into  a  row  with  anyone — least  of  all 
with  the  bullies  who  made  up  the  Clary  Grove  Boys. 

"I  won't  do  it,"  he  said,  when  Offutt  told  him  of  the 
proposed  wrestling  match.  ''I  never  tussle  and  scuffle, 
and  I  will  not.      I  don't  like  this  wooHng  and  pulHng. " 

''Don't  let  them  call  you  a  coward,  Abe,"  said  Offutt. 

Of  course,  you  know  what  the  end  would  be  to  such  an 
affair.  Nobody  likes  to  be  called  a  coward — especially 
when  he  knows  he  is  not  one.  So,  at  last,  Lincoln  con- 
sented to  ''rassle"  with  Jack  Armstrong.  They  met, 
with  all  the  boys  as  spectators.  They  wrestled,  and 
tugged,  and  clenched,  but  without  result.  Both  young 
fellows  were  equally  matched  in  strength.  ''It's  no  use, 
Jack,"  Lincoln  at  last  declared.  "Let's  quit.  You 
can't  throw  me,  and  I  can't  throw  you.   That's  enough. " 

With  that,  all  Jack's  backers  began  to  cry  "coward!" 
and  urged  on  the  champion  to  another  tussle.  Jack 
Armstrong  was  now  determined  to  win,  by  fair  means 
or  foul.  He  tried  the  latter,  and,  contrary  to  all  rules 
of  wrestling  began  to  kick  and  trip,  while  his  supporters 
stood  ready  to  help,  if  need  be,  by  breaking  in  with  a 
regular  free  fight.  This  "foul  play"  roused  the  Hon  in 
Lincoln.  He  hated  unfairness,  and  at  once  resented  it. 
He  suddenly  put  forth  his  Samson-like  strength,  grabbed 
the  champion  of  the  Clary  Grove  Boys  by  the  throat,  and, 
lifting  him  from  the  ground,  held  him  at  arm's  length 
and  shook  him  as  a  dog  shakes  a  rat.  Then  he  flung  him 
to  the  ground,  and,  facing  the  amazed  and  yelling  crowd, 
he  cried:  "You  cowards!  You  know  I  don't  want  to 
fight;  but  if  you  try  any  such  games,  I'll  tackle  the 
whole  lot  of  you.     I've  won  the  fight." 

He  had.     From  that  day,  no  man  in  all  that  region 


The  YotUh  of  Lincoln  317 

dared  to  ''tackle"  young  Lincoln,  or  to  taunt  him  with 
cowardice.  And  Jack  Armstrong  was  his  devoted 
friend  and  admirer. 

I  have  told  you  more,  perhaps,  of  the  famous  fight 
than  I  ought — not  because  it  was  a  fight,  but  because  it 
gives  you  a  glimpse  of  Abraham  I/incoln's  character. 
He  disliked  rows;  he  was  too  kind-hearted  and  good- 
natured  to  wish  to  quarrel  with  any  one;  but  he  hated 
unfairness,  and  was  enraged  at  anything  like  persecution 
or  bullying.  If  you  will  look  up  Shakespeare's  play 
of  ''Hamlet"  you  will  see  that  Lincoln  was  ready  to  act 
upon  the  advice  that  old  Polonius  gave  to  his  son  Laertes : 

"  Beware 
Of  entrance  to  a  quarrel;  but,  being  in, 
Bear  it  that  the  opposer  may  beware  of  thee." 

He  became  quite  a  man  in  that  little  community.  As 
a  clerk  he  was  obliging  and  strictly  honest.  He  was  the 
judge  and  the  settler  of  all  disputes,  and  none  thought 
of  combating  his  decisions.  He  was  the  village  peace- 
maker. He  hated  profanity,  drunkenness,  and  unkind- 
ness  to  women.  He  was  feared  and  respected  by  all, 
and  even  the  Clary  Grove  Boys  declared,  at  last,  that 
he  was  "the  cleverest  feller  that  ever  broke  into  the 
settlement." 

All  the  time,  too,  he  was  trying  to  improve  himself. 
He  liked  to  sit  around  and  talk  and  tell  stories,  just  the 
same  as  ever;  but  he  saw  this  was  not  the  way  to  get  on 
in  the  world.  He  worked,  whenever  he  had  the  chance. 
outside  of  his  store  duties;  and  once,  when  trade  was 
dull  and  hands  were  short  in  the  clearing,  he  "turned  to" 
and  split  enough  logs  into  rails  to  make  a  pen  for  a  thou- 
sand hogs. 


3i8  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Kfww 

When  he  was  not  at  work  he  devoted  himself  to  his 
books.  He  could  "read,  write,  and  cipher" — this  was 
more  education  than  most  men  about  him  possessed; 
but  he  hoped,  some  day,  to  go  before  the  public;  to  do  this, 
he  knew  he  must  speak  and  write  correctly.  He  talked 
to  the  village  schoolmaster,  who  advised  him  to  study 
English  grammar. 

"Well,  if  I  had  a  grammar,"  said  Lincoln,  "I'd  begin 
now.     Have  you  got  one?" 

The  schoolmaster  had  no  grammar;  but  he  told  "Abe" 
of  a  man,  six  miles  off,  who  owned  one.  Thereupon, 
Lincoln  started  upon  the  run  to  borrow  that  grammar. 
He  brought  it  back  so  quickly  that  the  schoolmaster  was 
astonished.  Then  he  set  to  work  to  learn  the  "rules 
and  exceptions."  He  studied  that  grammar,  stretched 
full  length  on  the  store-counter,  or  under  a  tree  outside 
the  store,  or  at  night  before  a  blazing  fire  of  shavings  in 
the  cooper's  shop.  And  soon,  he  had  mastered  it.  He 
borrowed  every  book  in  New  Salem;  he  made  the  school- 
master give  him  lessons  in  the  store;  he  button-holed 
every  stranger  that  came  into  the  place  "who  looked  as 
though  he  knew  anything";  until,  at  last,  every  one  in 
New  Salem  was  ready  to  echo  Offutt's  boast  that  "Abe 
Lincoln"  knew  more  than  any  man  "in  these  United 
States."  One  day,  in  the  bottom  of  an  old  barrel  of 
trash,  he  made  a  splendid  "find."  It  was  two  old 
law  books.  He  read  and  re-read  them,  got  all  the 
sense  and  argument  out  of  their  dry  pages,  blos- 
somed into  a  debater,  began  to  dream  of  being 
a  lawyer,  and  became  so  skilled  in  seeing  through 
and  settling  knotty  questions  that,  once  again.  New 
Salem  wondered  at  this  clerk  of  Offutt's,  who  was 
as   long   of   head   as   of   arms   and   legs,  and  declared 


The  Youth  of  Lincoln  319 

that  ''Abe  Lincoln   could   out-argue   any  ten  men  in 
the  settlement." 

In  all  the  history  of  America  there  has  been  no  man 
who  started  lower  and  climbed  higher  than  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  backwoods  boy.  He  never  ''slipped  back. " 
He  always  kept  going  ahead.  He  broadened  his  mind, 
enlarged  his  outlook,  and  led  his  companions  rather 
than  let  them  lead  him.  He  was  jolly  company,  good- 
natured,  kind-hearted,  fond  of  jokes  and  stories  and  a 
good  time  generally;  but  he  was  the  champion  of  the 
weak,  the  friend  of  the  friendless,  as  true  a  knight  and 
as  full  of  chivalry  as  any  one  of  the  heroes  in  armour  of 
whom  you  read  in  "Ivanhoe"  or  "The  Talisman." 
He  never  cheated,  never  lied,  never  took  an  unfair  ad- 
vantage of  anyone;  but  he  was  ambitious,  strong-willed, 
a  bold  fighter  and  a  tough  adversary — a  fellow  who 
would  never  "say  die";  and  who,  therefore,  succeeded. 


CHAPTER    XX 


FATHER     DAMIEN 


AS  WE  approached  Molokai  I  found  that  the  slow 
work  of  centuries  had  nearly  covered  its  lava 
with  verdure.  At  dawn  we  were  opposite  Kalaupapa. 
Two  little  spired  churches,  looking  precisely  alike,  caught 
my  eye  first,  and  around  them  were  dotted  the  white 
cottages  of  the  lepers.  But  the  sea  was  too  rough  for 
us  to  land.  The  waves  dashed  against  the  rocks,  and 
the  spray  rose  fifty  feet  into  the  air. 

We  went  on  to  Kalawao,  but  were  again  disapponted; 
it  was  too  dangerous  to  disembark.  Finally  it  was  de- 
cided to  put  off  a  boat  for  a  rocky  point  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  distant  from  the  town.  Climbing  down  this  point 
we  saw  about  twenty  lepers,  and  ''There  is  Father 
Damien!"  said  our  purser;  and,  slowly  moving  along  the 
hillside,  I  saw  a  dark  figure  with  a  large  straw  hat.  He 
came  rather  painfully  down,  and  sat  near  the  water-side, 
and  we  exchanged  friendly  signals  across  the  waves  while 
my  baggage  was  being  got  out  of  the  hold — a  long  busi- 
ness, owing  to  the  violence  of  the  sea.  At  last  all  was 
ready,  and  we  went  swinging  across  the  waves,  and 
finally  chose  a  fit  moment  for  leaping  on  shore.  Father 
Damien  caught  me  by  the  hand,  and  a  hearty  welcome 
shone  from  his  kindly  face  as  he  helped  me  up  the  rock. 
He  immediately  called  me  by  my  name,  "Edward,"  and 
said  it  was  "like  everything  else,  a  providence,"  that  he 

320 


Father  Datnien  321 

had  met  me  at  that  irregular  landing-place,  for  he  had 
expected  the  ship  to  stop  at  Kalaupapa. 

He  was  now  forty-nine  years  old — a  thick-set,  strongly 
built  man,  with  black  curly  hair  and  short  beard,  turning 
gray.  His  countenance  must  have  been  handsome,  with 
a  full,  well-curved  mouth  and  a  short,  straight  nose ;  but 
he  was  now  a  good  deal  disfigured  by  leprosy,  though  not 
so  badly  as  to  make  it  anything  but  a  pleasure  to  look  at 
his  bright,  sensible  face.  His  forehead  was  swollen  and 
rigid,  the  eyebrows  gone,  the  nose  somewhat  sunk,  and 
the  ears  greatly  enlarged.  His  hands  and  face  looked 
uneven  with  a  sort  of  incipient  boils,  and  his  body  also 
showed  many  signs  of  the  disease,  but  he  assured  me  that 
he  had  felt  little  or  no  pain  since  he  had  tried  Dr.  Goto's 
system  of  hot  baths  and  Japanese  medicine.  The  bath- 
rooms that  have  been  provided  by  the  Government  are 
very  nice. 

A  large  wooden  box  of  presents  from  English  friends, 
had  been  unshipped  with  the  gurjun  oil.  It  was,  how- 
ever, so  large  that  Father  Damien  said  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  his  lepers  either  to  land  it  from  the  boat 
or  to  carry  it  to  Kalawao,  and  that  it  must  be  re- 
turned to  the  steamer  and  landed  on  some  voyage 
when  the  sea  was  quieter.  But  I  could  not  give  up 
the  pleasure  of  his  enjoyment  in  its  contents,  so  after 
some  delay  it  was  forced  open  in  the  boat,  and  the 
things  were  handed  out  one  by  one  across  the  waves. 
The  lepers  all  came  round  with  their  poor  marred 
faces,  and  the  presents  were  carried  home  by  them 
and  our  two  selves. 

As  we  ascended  the  hill  on  which  the  village  is  built 
Father  Damien  showed  me  on  our  left  the  chicken  farm. 
The  lepers  are  justly  proud  of  it,  and  before  many  days  I 


322  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

had  a  fine  fowl  sent  me  for  dinner,  which,  after  a  Httle 
natural  timidity,  I  ate  with  thankfulness. 

On  arriving  at  Kalawao  we  speedily  found  ourselves 
inside  the  half-finished  church  which  was  the  darling  of 
his  heart.  How  he  enjoyed  planning  the  places  where 
the  pictures  which  I  had  just  brought  him  should  be 
placed!  By  the  side  of  this  church  he  showed  me  the 
palm-tree  under  which  he  lived  for  some  weeks  when  he 
first  arrived  at  the  settlement,  in  1873.  His  own  little 
four-roomed  house  almost  joins  the  church. 

After  dinner  we  went  up  the  little  flight  of  steps  which 
led  to  Father  Damien's  balcony.  This  was  shaded  by  a 
honeysuckle  in  blossom.  Some  of  my  happiest  times  at 
Molokai  were  spent  in  this  little  balcony,  sketching  him 
and  listening  to  what  he  said.  The  lepers  came  up  to 
watch  my  progress,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  how  happy 
and  at  home  they  were.  Their  poor  faces  were  often 
swelled  and  drawn  and  distorted,  with  bloodshot  goggle 
eyes. 

I  offered  to  give  a  photograph  of  the  picture  to  his 
brother  in  Belgium,  but  he  said  perhaps  it  would  be  bet- 
ter not  to  do  so,  as  it  might  pain  him  to  see  how  he  was 
disfigured.  He  looked  mournfully  at  my  work.  "What 
an  ugly  face!"  he  said;  "I  did  not  know  the  disease  had 
made  such  progress."  Looking-glasses  are  not  in  great 
request  at  Molokai! 

While  I  sketched  him  he  often  read  his  breviary.  At 
other  times  we  talked  on  subjects  that  interested  us  both, 
especially  about  the  work  of  the  Church  Army,  and  some- 
times I  sang  hymns  to  him — among  others,  "Brief  life  is 
here  our  portion,"  "Art  thou  weary,  art  thou  languid?" 
and  "Safe  home  in  port."  At  such  times  the  expression  of 
his  face  was  particularly  sweet  and  tender.     One  day  I 


Father  Damien  323 

asked  him  if  he  would  Hke  to  send  a  message  to  Cardinal 
Manning.  He  said  that  it  was  not  for  such  as  he  to  send 
a  message  to  so  great  a  dignitary,  but  after  a  moment's 
hesitation  he  added,  "I  send  my  humble  respects  and 
thanks." 

I  need  scarcely  say  that  he  gave  himself  no  airs  of 
martyr,  saint,  or  hero — a  humbler  man  I  never  saw.  He 
smiled  modestly  and  deprecatingly  when  I  gave  him  the 
Bishop  of  Peterborough's  message — ''He  won't  accept 
the  blessing  of  a  heretic  bishop,  but  tell  him  that  he  has 
my  prayers,  and  ask  him  to  give  me  his."  "Does  he  call 
himself  a  heretic  bishop?"  he  asked  doubtfully,  and  I  had 
to  explain  that  the  bishop  had  probably  used  the  term 
playfully. 

One  day  he  told  me  about  his  early  history.  He  was 
born  on  the  3rd  of  January,  1841 ,  near  Louvain  in  Belgium. 
On  his  nineteenth  birthday  his  father  took  him  to  see  his 
brother,  who  was  then  preparing  for  the  priesthood,  and 
he  left  him  there  to  dine,  while  he  himself  went  on  to  the 
neighbouring  town.  Young  Joseph  (this  was  his  baptis- 
mal name)  decided  that  there  was  the  opportunity  for 
taking  the  step  which  he  had  long  been  desiring  to  take, 
and  when  his  father  came  back  he  told  him  that  he  wished 
to  return  home  no  more,  and  that  it  would  be  better  thus 
to  miss  the  pain  of  farewells.  His  father  consented  un- 
willingly, but,  as  he  was  obliged  to  hurry  to  the  con- 
veyance which  was  to  take  him  home,  there  was  no  time 
for  demur,  and  they  parted  at  the  station.  Afterward, 
when  all  was  settled,  Joseph  revisited  his  home,  and 
received  his  mother's  approval  and  blessing. 

His  brother  was  bent  on  going  to  the  South  Seas  tor 
mission  work,  and  all  was  arranged  accordingly;  but  at 
the  last  he  was  laid  low  with  fever,  and,  to  his  bitter  disap- 


324  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

pointment,  forbidden  to  go.  The  impetuous  Joseph 
asked  if  it  would  be  a  consolation  to  his  brother  if  he 
were  to  go  instead,  and,  receiving  an  affirmative  answer, 
he  wrote  surreptitiously,  offering  himself,  and  begging 
that  he  might  be  sent,  though  his  education  was  not  yet 
finished.  The  students  were  not  allowed  to  send  out 
letters  till  they  had  been  submitted  to  the  Superior,  but 
Joseph  ventured  to  disobey. 

One  day,  as  he  sat  at  his  studies,  the  Superior  came  in, 
and  said,  with  a  tender  reproach,  "Oh,  you  impatient 
boy!  you  have  written  this  letter,  and  you  are  to  go." 

Joseph  jumped  up,  and  ran  out,  and  leaped  about  like 
a  young  colt. 

"Is  he  crazy?"  said  the  other  students. 

He  worked  for  some  years  on  other  islands  in  the 
Pacific,  but  it  happened  that  he  was  one  day  in  1873 
present  at  the  dedication  of  a  chapel  in  the  island  of  Maui, 
when  the  bishop  was  lamenting  that  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  send  a  missioner  to  the  lepers  at  Molokai  and 
still  less  to  provide  them  with  a  pastor.  He  had  only 
been  able  to  send  them  occasional  and  temporary  help. 
Some  young  priests  had  just  arrived  in  Hawaii  for  mis- 
sion work,  and  Father  Damien  instantly  spoke. 

''Monseigneur,"  said  he,  "here  are  your  new  missioners; 
one  of  them  could  take  my  district,  and  if  you  will  be  kind 
enough  to  allow  it,  I  will  go  to  Molokai  and  labour  for 
the  poor  lepers  whose  wretched  state  of  bodily  and  spirit- 
ual misfortune  has  often  made  my  heart  bleed  within  me." 

His  offer  was  accepted,  and  that  very  day,  without  any 
farewells,  he  embarked  on  a  boat  that  was  taking  some 
cattle  to  the  leper  settlement.  W^iii  he  first  put  his  foot 
on  the  island  he  said  to  himselt,  "Now  Joseph,  my  boy, 
this  is  your  life-work." 


Father  Damien  325 

I  did  not  find  one  person  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  who 
had  the  least  doubt  as  to  leprosy  being  contagious,  though 
it  is  possible  to  be  exposed  to  the  disease  for  years  without 
contracting  it.  Father  Damien  told  me  that  he  had  al- 
ways expected  that  he  should  sooner  or  later  become  a 
leper,  though  exactly  how  he  caught  it  he  does  not  know. 
But  it  was  not  likely  that  he  would  escape,  as  he  was  con- 
stantly living  in  a  polluted  atmosphere,  dressing  the  suf- 
ferers' sores,  washing  their  bodies,  visiting  their  death- 
beds, and  even  digging  their  graves.  In  his  own  words 
is  a  report  of  the  state  of  things  at  Molokai  sixteen  years 
ago,  and  I  think  a  portion  will  be  interesting: 

''By  special  providence  of  our  Divine  Lord,  who  dur- 
ing His  public  life  showed  a  particular  sympathy  for  the 
lepers,  my  way  was  traced  toward  Kalawao  in  May,  1873. 
I  was  then  thirty-three  years  of  age,  enjoying  a  robust 
good  health. 

''About  eighty  of  the  lepers  were  in  the  hospital;  the 
others,  with  a  very  few  Kokuas  (helpers),  had  taken 
their  abode  farther  up  toward  the  valley.  They  had  cut 
down  the  old  pandanus  groves  to  build  their  houses, 
though  a  great  many  had  nothing  but  branches  of  castor- 
oil  trees  with  which  to  construct  their  small  shelters. 
These  frail  frames  were  covered  with  ki  leaves  or  with 
sugar-cane  leaves,  the  best  ones  with  pili  grass.  I,  my- 
self, v/as  sheltered  during  several  weeks  under  the  single 
pandanus-tree  which  is  preserved  up  to  the  present  in  the 
churchyard.  Under  such  primitive  roofs  were  living 
without  distinction  of  age  or  sex,  old  or  new  cases,  all 
more  or  less  strangers  one  to  another,  those  unfortunate 
outcasts  of  society.  They  passed  their  time  with  play- 
ing cards,  hula  (native  dances),  drinking  fermented  ki- 
root  beer,  home-made  alcohol,  and  with  the   sequels  of 


326  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

all  this.  Their  clothes  were  far  from  being  clean  and 
decent,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  water,  which  had  to 
be  brought  at  that  time  from  a  great  distance.  Many  a 
time  in  fulfilling  my  priestly  duty  at  their  domiciles  I 
have  been  compelled  to  run  outside  to  breathe  fresh  air. 
To  counteract  the  bad  smell  I  made  myself  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  tobacco,  whereupon  the  smell  of  the  pipe  pre- 
served me  somewhat  from  carrying  in  my  clothes  the 
noxious  odour  of  the  lepers.  At  that  time  the  progress 
of  the  disease  was  fearful,  and  the  rate  of  mortality  very 
high.  The  miserable  condition  of  the  settlement  gave 
it  the  name  of  a  living  graveyard,  which  name,  I  am 
happy  to  state,  is  to-day  no  longer  applicable  to  our  place." 

In  1874  a  *^cona"  (south)  wind  blew  down  most  of  the 
lepers'  wretched,  rotten  abodes,  and  the  poor  sufferers  lay 
shivering  in  the  wind  and  rain,  with  clothes  and  blankets 
wet  through.  In  a  few  days  the  grass  beneath  their 
sleeping-mats  began  to  emit  a  "very unpleasant  vapour." 
"I  at  once,"  says  Father  Damien,  "called  the  attention  of 
our  sympathising  agent  to  the  fact,  and  very  soon  there 
arrived  several  schooner-loads  of  scantling  to  build  solid 
frames  with,  and  all  lepers  in  distress  received,  on  appli- 
cation, the  necessary  material  for  the  erection  of  decent 
houses."  Friends  sent  them  rough  boards  and  shingles 
and  flooring.  Some  of  the  lepers  had  a  little  money,  and 
hired  carpenters.  For  those  without  means  the  priest, 
with  his  leper  boys,  did  the  work  of  erecting  a  good  many 
small  houses. 

"I  remember  well  that  when  I  arrived  here,"  again 
says  Father  Damien,  "  the  poor  people  were  without 
any  medicines,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  physics 
and  their  own  native  remedies.  It  was  a  common  sight 
to  see  people  going  round  with  fearful  ulcers,  which,  for 


Father  Damien  327 

the  want  of  a  few  rags  or  a  piece  of  lint  and  a  little  salve, 
were  left  exposed.  Not  only  were  their  sores  neglected 
but  any  one  getting  a  fever,  or  any  of  the  numerous  ail- 
ments that  lepers  are  heir  to,  was  carried  off  for  want  of 
some  simple  medicine. 

"Previous  to  my  arrival  here  it  was  acknowledged  and 
spoken  of  in  the  public  papers  as  well  as  in  private  letters 
that  the  greatest  want  at  Kalawao  was  a  spiritual  leader. 
It  was  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  this  want  that  vice  as 
a  general  rule  existed  instead  of  virtue,  and  degradation 
of  the  lowest  type  went  ahead  as  a  leader  of  the  com- 
munity. .  .  .  When  once  the  disease  prostrated  them 
women  and  children  were  often  cast  out,  and  had  to  find 
some  other  shelter.  Sometimes  they  were  laid  behind 
a  stone  wall,  and  left  there  to  die,  and  at  other  times  a 
hired  hand  would  carry  them  to  the  hospital. 

"As  there  were  so  many  dying  people,  my  priestly  duty 
toward  them  often  gave  me  the  opportunity  to  visit  them 
at  their  domiciles,  and  although  my  exhortations  were 
especially  addressed  to  the  prostrated  often  they  would 
fall  upon  the  ears  of  public  sinners,  who  little  by  little 
became  conscious  of  the  consequences  of  their  wicked 
lives,  and  began  to  reform,  and  thus,  with  the  hope  in  a 
merciful  Saviour,  gave  up  their  bad  habits. 

"Kindness  to  all,  charity  to  the  needy,  a  sympathising 
hand  to  the  sufferers  and  the  dying,  in  conjunction  with  a 
solid  religious  instruction  to  my  listeners,  have  been  my 
constant  means  to  introduce  moral  habits  among  the 
lepers.  I  am  happy  to  say  that,  assisted  by  the  local 
administration,  my  labours  here,  which  seemed  to  be 
almost  in  vain  at  the  beginning,  have,  thanks  to  a  kind 
Provideyce,  been  greatly  crowned  with  success." 

The  water  supply  of  Molokai  was  a  pleasant  subject 


328  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

with  Father  Damien.  When  he  first  arrived  the  lepers 
could  only  obtain  water  by  carrying  it  from  the  gulch  on 
their  poor  shoulders;  they  had  also  to  take  their  clothes 
to  some  distance  when  they  required  washing,  and  it  was 
no  wonder  that  they  lived  in  a  very  dirty  state.  He  was 
much  exercised  about  the  matter,  and  one  day,  to  his 
great  joy,  he  was  told  that  at  the  end  of  a  valley  called 
Waihanau  there  was  a  natural  reservoir.  He  set  out  with 
two  white  men  and  some  of  his  boys,  and  travelled  up  the 
valley  till  he  came  with  delight  to  a  nearly  circular  basin 
of  most  delicious  ice-cold  water.  Its  diameter  was 
seventy-two  feet  by  fifty-five,  and  not  far  from  the  bank 
they  found,  on  sounding,  that  it  was  eighteen  feet  deep. 
There  it  lay  at  the  foot  of  a  high  cliff,  and  he  was  informed 
by  the  natives  that  there  had  never  been  a  drought  in 
which  this  basin  had  dried  up.  He  did  not  rest  till  a 
supply  of  waterpipes  had  been  sent  them,  which  he  and 
all  the  able  lepers  went  to  work  and  laid.  Henceforth 
clear  sweet  water  has  been  available  for  all  who  desire  to 
drink,  to  wash,  or  to  bathe. 

It  was  after  living  at  the  leper  settlement  for  about  ten 
years  that  Father  Damien  began  to  suspect  that  he  was 
a  leper.  The  doctors  assured  him  that  this  was  not  the 
case.  But  he  once  scalded  himself  in  'lis  foot,  and  to  his 
horror  he  felt  no  pain.  Anaesthesia  had  begun,  and  soon 
other  fatal  signs  appeared.  One  day  he  asked  Dr. 
Arning,  the  great  German  doctor  who  was  then  resident 
in  Molokai,  to  examine  him  carefully. 

"I  cannot  bear  to  tell  you,"  said  Dr.  Arning,  "but  what 
you  say  is  true." 

"It  is  no  shock  to  me,"  said  Damien,  "for  I  have  felt 
sure  of  it."  . 

I  may  mention  here  that  there  are  three  kinds  of 


Father  Damien  329 

leprosy.  Father  Damien  suffered  (as  is  often  the  case) 
both  from  the  anaesthetic  and  the  tubercular  forms  of  the 
disease.  ''Whenever  I  preach  to  my  people,"  he  said, 
"I  do  not  say  'my  brethren,'  as  you  do,  but  'we  lepers.' 
People  pity  me  and  think  me  unfortunate,  but  I  think 
myself  the  happiest  of  missionaries." 

Henceforth  he  came  under  the  law  of  segregation,  and 
journeys  to  the  other  parts  of  the  islands  were  forbidden. 
But  he  worked  on  with  the  same  sturdy,  cheerful  forti- 
tude, accepting  the  will  of  God  with  gladness,  undaunted 
by  the  continual  reminders  of  his  coming  fate,  which  met 
him  in  the  poor  creatures  around  him. 

"I  would  not  be  cured,"  he  said  to  me,  "if  the  price  of 
my  cure  was  that  I  must  leave  the  island  and  give  up  my 
work." 

A  lady  wrote  to  him,  "You  have  given  up  all  earthly 
things  to  serve  God  here  and  to  help  others,  and  I  believe 
you  must  have  now  joy  that  nothing  can  take  from  you 
and  a  great  reward  hereafter." 

"Tell  her,"  he  said,  with  a  quiet  smile,  "that  it  is 
true.     I  do  have  that  joy  now." 

He  seldom  talked  of  himself  except  in  answer  to  ques- 
tions, and  he  had  always  about  him  the  simplicity  of  a 
great  man — "clothed  with  humihty." 

My  last  letter  from  him  is  dated: 

"Kalav^ao,  28th  February,  1889. 
"My  DEAR  Edward  Clifford — Your  sympathising 
letter  of  24th  gives  me  some  relief  in  my  rather  distressed 
condition.  I  try  my  best  to  carry,  without  much  com- 
plaining and  in  a  practical  way,  for  my  poor  soul's  sancti- 
fication,  the  long-foreseen  miseries  of  the  disease,  which, 
after  all,  is  a  providential  agent  to  detach  the  heart  from 


330  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

all  earthly  affection,  and  prompts  much  the  desire  of  a 
Christian  soul  to  be  united — the  sooner  the  better — with 
Him  who  is  her  only  life. 

"During  your  long  travelling  road  homeward  please  do 
not  forget  the  narrow  road.  We  both  have  to  walk  care- 
fully, so  as  to  meet  together  at  the  home  of  our  common 
and  eternal  Father.  My  kind  regards  and  prayers  and 
good  wishes  for  all  sympathising  friends.  Bon  voyage^ 
mon  cher  ami,  et  au  revoir  au  ceil — Votus  tuus, 

"J.  Damien." 

About  three  weeks  after  writing  this  letter  he  felt  sure 
that  his  end  was  near,  and  on  the  28th  March  he  took  to 
his  bed. 

"You  see  my  hands,"  he  said.  "All  the  wounds  are 
healing  and  the  crust  is  becoming  black.  You  know  that 
is  a  sign  of  death.  Look  at  my  eyes  too.  I  have  seen  so 
many  lepers  die  that  I  cannot  be  mistaken.  Death  is 
not  far  off.  I  should  have  liked  to  see  the  Bishop  again, 
but  le  bon  Dieu  is  calling  me  to  keep  Easter  with  Him- 
self.    God  be  blessed! 

"How  good  He  is  to  have  preserved  me  long  enough  to 
have  two  priests  by  my  side  at  my  last  moments,  and  also 
to  have  the  good  Sisters  of  Charity  at  the  Leproserie. 
That  has  been  my  Nunc  Dimittis.  The  work  of  the 
lepers  is  assured,  and  I  am  no  longer  necessary,  and  so 
will  go  up  yonder." 

Father  Wendolen  said,  ''When  you  are  up  above, 
father,  you  will  not  forget  those  you  leave  orphans  behind 
you?" 

"Oh  no!  If  I  have  any  credit  with  God,  I  will  inter- 
cede for  all  in  the  Leproserie.'''' 

"And  will  you,  like  Elijah,  leave  me  your  mantle,  my 
father,  in  order  that  I  may  have  your  great  heart?" 


Father  Damien  331 

"Why,  what  would  you  do  with  it?"  said  the  dying 
martyr,  "it  is  full  of  leprosy." 

He  rallied  for  a  little  while  after  this,  and  his  watchers 
even  had  a  little  hope  that  his  days  might  be  lengthened. 
Father  Conradi,  Father  Wendolen,  and  Brother  Joseph 
were  much  in  his  company.  Brother  James  was  his  con- 
stant nurse.  The  Sisters  from  Kalaupapa  visited  him 
often,  and  it  is  good  to  think  that  the  sweet  placid  face 
and  gentle  voice  of  the  Mother  were  near  him  in  his  last 
days.  Everybody  admired  his  wonderful  patience.  He 
who  had  been  so  ardent,  so  strong,  and  so  playful,  was 
now  powerless  on  his  couch.  He  lay  on  the  ground  on 
a  wretched  mattress  like  the  poorest  leper.  They  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  getting  him  to  accept  a  bed.  "And 
how  poorly  off  he  was ;  he  who  had  spent  so  much  money 
to  relieve  the  lepers  had  so  forgotten  himself  that  he  had 
none  of  the  comforts  and  scarcely  the  necessaries  of  life." 
Sometimes  he  suffered  intensely;  sometimes  he  was 
partly  unconscious.  He  said  that  he  was  continually 
conscious  of  two  persons  being  present  with  him.  One 
was  at  the  head  of  his  bed  and  one  at  his  feet.  But  who 
they  were  he  did  not  say.  The  terrible  disease  had  con- 
centrated itself  in  his  mouth  and  throat.  As  he  lay  there 
in  his  tiny  domicile,  with  the  roar  of  the  sea  getting 
fainter  to  his  poor  diseased  ears,  and  the  kind  face  of 
Brother  James  becoming  gradually  indistinct  before  his 
failing  eyes,  did  the  thought  come  to  him  that  after  all 
his  work  was  poor,  and  his  life  half  a  failure?  Many 
whom  he  had  hoped  much  of  had  disappointed  him.  Not 
much  praise  had  reached  him.  The  tide  of  affection 
and  sympathy  from  England  had  cheered  him,  but 
England  was  so  far  off  that  it  seemed  almost  like  sym- 
pathy and  affection  from  a  star.     Churches  were  built, 


332  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know 

schools  and  hospitals  were  in  working  order,  but  there  was 
still  much  to  be  done.  He  was  only  forty-nine,  and  he 
was  dying. 

"Well!  God's  will  be  done.  He  knows  best.  My 
work,  with  all  its  faults  and  failures,  is  in  His  hands,  and 
before  Easter  I  shall  see  my  Saviour." 

The  breathing  grew  more  laboured,  the  leprous  eyes 
were  clouded,  the  once  stalwart  frame  was  fast  becoming 
rigid.  The  sound  of  the  passing  bell  was  heard,  and  the 
wail  of  the  wretched  lepers  pierced  the  air.  .  .  .  The 
last  flickering  breath  was  breathed,  and  the  soul  of 
Joseph  Damien  de  Veuster  arose  like  a  lark  to  God. 


ONCE    UPON    A   TIME 


PART  II— FAIRIES 


CONTENTS 

TO 

"FAIRIES  EVERY  CHILD  SHOULD  KNOW" 

PAGB 

Introduction v 

One  Eye,  Two  Eyes,  Three  Eyes        .        ,        .        .        i 

(Grimm  s  Fairy  Tales) 

The  Magic  Mirror ii 

(Grimm's  Fairy  Tales) 

The  Enchanted  Stag 26 

(Grimm's  Fairy  Tales) 

Hansel  and  Grethel 35 

(Grimm's  Fairy  Tales) 

The  Story  of  Aladdin  ;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp      48 

("Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments") 

The  History  of  Ali  Baba,  and  of  the  Forty  Rob- 

biers  Killed  by  One  Slave 109 

("Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments") 

The  Second  Voyage  of  Sindbad  the  Sailor    .        .     140 

("Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments") 

The  White  Cat 147 

(From  the  tale  by  the  Comtesse  d'Aulnoy) 

The  Golden  Goose 166 

(Grimm's  Fairy  Tales) 

The  Twelve  Brothers 173 

(Grimm's  Fairy  Tales) 

The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks    .        .        .180 

(From  the  tale  by  Comtesse  d'Aulnoy) 

Tom  Thumb 195 

(First  written  in  prose  in  162 1  by  Richard  Johnson) 

Blue  Beard 204 

(From  the  French  tale  by  Charles  Perrault) 


CONTENTS— Continued 


Cinderella;  or,  The  Little  Glass  Slipper  .    212 

(From  the  French  tale  by  Charles  Perrault) 

Puss  IN  Boots 222 

( From  the  French  tale  by  Charles  Perrault) 

The  Sleeping  Beauty  in  the  Wood  ....     229 

(From  the  French  tale  by  Charles  Perrault) 

Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk 236 

(Said  to  be  an  allegory  of  the  Teutonic  Al-fader.    The  tale  is  also 
written  in  French  by  Charles  Perrault) 

Jack  the  Giant  Killer 254 

(From  the  old  British  legend  told  by  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  of 
Corineus  the  Trojan) 

Little  Red  Riding  Hood 273 

(From  the  French  tale  by  Charles  Perrault) 

The  Three  Bears 276 

(Robert  Southey) 

The  Princess  on  the  Pea 279 

( From  the  tale  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen) 

The  Ugly  Duckling 281 

(From  the  tale  by  Hans  Christian  Andersen) 

The  Light  Princess 294 

(George  MacDonald) 

Beauty  and  the  Beast 352 

(From  the  French  tale  by  Madame  Gabrielle  de  Villeneuve) 


INTRODUCTION 

TO 

"FAIRIES  EVERY  CHILD  SHOULD  KNOW" 

The  fairy  tale  is  a  poetic  recording  of  the  facts  of 
Hfe,  an  interpretation  by  the  imagination  of  its  hard 
conditions,  an  effort  to  reconcile  the  spirit  which 
loves  freedom  and  goodness  and  beauty  with  its 
harsh,  bare  and  disappointing  conditions.  It  is,  in 
its  earliest  form,  a  spontaneous  and  instinctive  en- 
deavor to  shape  the  facts  of  the  world  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  imagination,  the  cravings  of  the  heart. 
It  involves  a  free,  poetic  dealing  with  realities  in 
accordance  with  the  law  of  mental  growth ;  it  is  the 
naive  activity  of  the  young  imagination  of  the  race, 
untrammelled  by  the  necessity  of  rigid  adherence 
to  the  fact. 

The  myths  record  the  earliest  attempt  at  an  expla- 
nation of  the  world  and  its  life ;  the  fairy  tale  records 
the  free  and  joyful  play  of  the  imagination,  opening 
doors  through  hard  conditions  to  the  spirit,  which 
craves  power,  freedom,  happiness ;  righting  wrongs 
and  redressing  injuries;  defeating  base  designs;  re- 
warding patience  and  virtue ;  crowning  true  love 
with  happiness ;  placing  the  powers  of  darkness 
under  the  control  of  man  and  making  their  ministers 
his  servants.  In  the  fairy  story,  men  are  not  set 
entirely  free  from  their  limitations,  but,  by  the  aid 
of  fairies,  genii,  giants  and  demons,  they  are  put 

V 


vi  Introduction 

in  command  of  unusual  powers  and  make  themselves 
masters  of  the  forces  of  nature. 

The  oldest  fairy  stories  constitute  a  fascinating 
introduction  to  the  book  of  modern  science,  curi- 
ously predicting  its  discoveries,  its  uncovering  of  the 
resources  of  the  earth  and  air,  its  growing  control  of 
the  tremendous  forces  which  work  in  earth  and  air. 
And  it  is  significant  that  the  recent  progress  of 
science  is  steadily  toward  what  our  ancestors  would 
have  considered  fairy  land ;  for  in  all  the  imaginings 
of  the  childhood  of  the  race  there  was  nothing  more 
marvellous  or  more  audaciously  improbable  than  the 
transmission  of  the  accents  and  modulations  of 
familiar  voices  through  long  distances,  and  the 
power  of  communication  across  leagues  of  sea  with- 
out mechanical  connections  of  any  kind. 

The  faculty  which  created  the  fairy  tale  is  the 
same  faculty  which,  supplemented  by  a  broader  ob- 
servation and  based  on  more  accurate  knowledge, 
has  broadened  the  range  and  activities  of  modern 
man,  made  the  world  accessible  to  him,  enabled  him 
to  live  in  one  place  but  to  speak  and  act  in  places 
thousands  of  miles  distant,  given  him  command  of 
colossal  forces,  and  is  fast  making  him  rich  on  a 
scale  which  would  have  seemed  incredible  to  men 
of  a  half-century  ago.  There  is  nothing  in  any 
fairy  tale  more  marvellous  and  inherently  improba- 
ble than  many  of  the  achievements  of  scientific 
observation  and  invention,  and  we  are  only  at  the 
beginning  of  the  wonders  that  lie  within  the  reach 
of  the  human  spirit ! 

No  one  can  understand  the  modern  world  with- 


Introduction  vii 

out  the  aid  of  the  imagination,  and  as  the  frontiers 
of  knowledge  are  pushed  still  further  away  from 
the  obvious  and  familiar,  there  will  be  an  increasing 
tax  on  the  imagination.  The  world  of  dead  matter 
which  our  fathers  thought  they  understood  has  be- 
come a  world  of  subtle  forces  moving  with  incon- 
ceivable velocity;  nothing  is  inert,  all  things  are 
transformed  into  other  and  more  elusive  shapes  pre- 
cisely as  the  makers  of  the  fairy  tales  foresaw  and 
predicted;  the  world  lives  in  every  atom  just  as 
their  world  lived;  forces  lie  just  outside  the  range 
of  physical  sight,  but  entirely  within  the  range  of 
spiritual  vision,  precisely  as  the  tellers  of  these  old 
stories  divined;  mystery  and  wonder  enfold  all 
things,  and  not  only  evoke  the  full  play  of  the  mind, 
but  flood  it  with  intimations  and  suggestions  of  the 
presence  of  more  elusive  and  subtle  forces,  of  finer 
and  more  obedient  powers,  as  the  world  of  fairies, 
magi  and  demons  enfolded  the  ancient  earth  of 
daily  toil  and  danger. 

In  a  word,  the  fairy  stories  have  come  true ;  they 
are  historical  in  the  sense  that  they  faithfully  report 
a  stage  of  spiritual  growth  and  predict  a  higher 
order  of  realities  through  a  deeper  knowledge  of 
actualities.  They  were  poetic  renderings  of  facts 
which  science  is  fast  verifying,  chiefly  by  the  use  of 
the  same  faculty  which  enriched  early  literature  with 
the  myth  and  the  fairy  tale.  The  scientist  has  turned 
poet  in  these  later  days,  and  the  imagination  which 
once  expressed  itself  in  a  free  handling  of  facts  so 
as  to  make  them  answer  the  needs  and  demands  of 
the    human    spirit,    now    expresses    itself    in    that 


viii  Introduction 

breadth  of  vision  which  reconstructs  an  extinct 
animal  from  a  bone  and  analyzes  the  Hght  of  a  sun 
flaming  on  the  outermost  boundaries  of  space. 

This  collection  of  tales,  gathered  from  the  rich 
literature  of  the  childhood  of  the  world,  or  from  the 
books  of  the  few  modern  men  who  have  found  the 
key  of  that  wonderful  world,  is  put  forth  not  only 
without  apology,  but  with  the  hope  that  it  may 
widen  the  demand  for  these  charming  reports  of  a 
world  in  which  the  truths  of  our  working  world 
are  loyally  upheld,  while  its  hard  facts  are  quietly 
but  authoritatively  dismissed  from  attention.  The 
widest  interpretation  has  been  given  to  the  fairy 
tale,  so  as  to  include  many  of  those  classic  romances 
of  childhood  in  which  no  fairy  appears,  but  which 
are  invested  with  the  air  and  are  permeated  with 
the  glorious  freedom  of  fairy  land. 

No  sane  man  or  woman  undervalues  the  immense 
gains  of  the  modern  world  in  the  knowledge  of  facts 
and  the  application  of  ideas  to  things  in  order  to 
secure  comfort,  health,  access  to  the  treasure  in  the 
earth  and  on  its  surface,  the  means  of  education 
and  greater  freedom  from  the  tyranny  of  toil  by  the 
accumulation  of  the  fruits  of  toil ;  but  no  sane  man 
or  woman  believes  that  a  mechanical  age  is  other 
than  a  transitional  age,  that  the  possession  of  things 
is  the  final  achievement  of  society,  and  that  in  multi- 
plication of  conveniences  civilization  will  reach  its 
point  of  culmination. 

We  are  so  engrossed  in  getting  rich  that  we  for- 
get that  by  and  by,  when  we  have  become  rich,  we 
shall  have  to  learn  how  to  live ;  for  work  can  never 


Introduction  ix 

be  an  end  in  itself ;  it  is  a  '*  means  of  grace  "  when 
it  is  not  drudgery ;  and  it  must,  in  the  long  run,  be 
a  preparation  for  play.  For  play  is  not  organized 
idleness,  frivolity  set  in  a  fanciful  order;  it  is  the 
normal,  spontaneous  exercise  of  physical  activity, 
the  wholesome  gayety  of  the  mind,  the  natu- 
ral expression  of  the  spirit,  without  self-con- 
sciousness, constraint,  or  the  tyranny  of  hours  and 
tasks.  It  is  the  highest  form  of  energy,  because 
it  is  free  and  creative ;  a  joy  in  itself,  and  therefore 
a  joy  in  the  world.  This  is  the  explanation  of  the 
sense  of  freedom  and  elation  which  come  from  a 
great  work  of  art ;  it  is  the  instinctive  perception  of 
the  fact  that  while  immense  toil  lies  behind  the 
artist's  skill,  the  soul  of  the  creation  came  from  be- 
yond the  world  of  work  and  the  making  of  it  was  a 
bit  of  play.  The  man  of  creative  spirit  is  often  a 
tireless  worker,  but  in  his  happiest  hours  he  is  at 
play;  for  all  work,  when  it  rises  into  freedom  and 
power,  is  play.  "  We  work,"  wrote  a  Greek  thinker 
of  the  most  creative  people  who  have  yet  appeared, 
"  in  order  that  we  may  have  leisure."  The  note  of 
that  life  was  freedom ;  its  activity  was  not  "  evoked 
by  external  needs,  but  was  free,  spontaneous  and  de- 
lightful ;  an  ordered  energy  which  stimulates  all  the 
vital  and  mental  powers." 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson^  who  knew  well  how  to 
touch  work  with  the  spirit  and  charm  of  play,  re- 
ports of  certain  evenings  spent  at  a  clubhouse  near 
Brussels,  that  the  men  who  gathered  there  '*  were 
employed  over  the  frivolous  mercantile  concerns  of 
Belgium  during  the  day;  but  in  the  evening  they 


X  Introduction 

found  some  hours  for  the  serious  concerns  of  Ufe." 
They  gave  their  days  to  commerce,  but  their  even- 
ings were  devoted  to  more  important  interests ! 

These  words  are  written  for  those  older  pyeople 
who  have  made  the  mistake  of  straying  away  from 
childhood ;  children  do  not  read  introductions,  be- 
cause they  know  that  the  valuable  part  of  the  book 
is  to  be  found  in  the  later  pages.  They  read  the 
stories;  their  elders  read  the  introduction  as  well. 
They  both  need  the  stuff  of  imagination,  of  which 
myths,  legends,  and  fairy  tales  are  made.  So  much 
may  be  said  of  these  old  stories  that  it  is  a  serious 
question  where  to  begin,  and  a  still  more  difficult 
question  where  to  end.  For  these  tales  are  the  first 
outpourings  of  that  spring  of  imagination  whence 
flow  the  most  illuminating,  inspiring,  refreshing  and 
captivating  thoughts  and  ideas  about  life.  No 
philosophy  is  deeper  than  that  which  underlies 
these  stories ;  no  psychology  is  more  important  than 
that  which  finds  its  choicest  illustration  in  them; 
no  chapter  in  the  history  of  thought  is  more  sug- 
gestive and  engrossing  than  that  which  records 
their  growth  and  divines  their  meaning.  Fairy  tales 
and  myths  are  so  much  akin  that  they  are  easily 
transformed  and  exchange  costumes  without  chang- 
ing character ;  while  the  legend,  which  belongs  to  a 
later  period,  often  reflects  the  large  meaning  of  the 
myth  and  the  free  fancy  of  the  fairy  tale. 

As  a  class,  children  not  only  possess  the  faculty 
of  imagination,  but  are  very  largely  occupied  with 
it  during  the  most  sensitive  and  formative  years, 
and  those  who  lack  it  are  brought  under  its  spell  by 


Introduction 


XI 


their  fellows.  They  do  not  accurately  distinguish 
between  the  actual  and  the  imaginary,  and  they  live 
at  ease  in  a  world  out  of  which  paths  run  in  every 
direction  into  wonderland.  They  begin  their  educa- 
tion when  they  begin  to  play;  for  play  not  only 
affords  an  outlet  for  their  energy,  and  so  supplies 
one  great  means  of  growth  and  training,  but  places 
them  in  social  relations  with  their  mates  and  in  con- 
scious contact  with  the  world  about  them.  The  old 
games  that  have  been  played  by  generations  of  chil- 
dren not  only  precede  the  training  of  the  school 
and  supplement  it,  but  accomplish  some  results  in 
the  nature  of  the  child  which  are  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  school.  When  a  crowd  of  boys  are  rushing 
across  country  in  "  hounds  and  deer,"  they  are 
giving  lungs,  heart  and  muscles  the  best  possible 
exercise ;  they  are  sharing  certain  rules  of  honor 
with  one  another,  expressed  in  that  significant 
phrase,  ''  fair  play  " ;  and  they  are  giving  rein  to 
their  imaginations  in  the  very  name  of  their  occu- 
pation. Body,  spirit  and  imagination  have  their  part 
in  every  good  game ;  for  the  interest  of  a  game  lies 
in  its  appeal  to  the  imagination,  as  in  ''  hounds  and 
deer,"  or  in  its  stimulus  to  activity,  as  in  "  tag  "  and 
"  hide-and-seek." 

There  are  few  chapters  in  the  biography  of  the 
childhood  of  men  of  genius  more  significant  than 
those  which  describe  imaginary  worlds  which  were, 
for  a  time,  as  real  as  the  actual  world  in  which  the 
boy  lived.  Goethe  entertained  and  mystified  his 
playmates  with  accounts  of  a  certain  garden  in 
which  he  wandered  at  will,  but  which  they  could 


xii  Introduction 

not  find ;  and  De  Quincey  created  a  kingdom,  with 
all  its  complex  relations  and  varied  activities,  which 
he  ruled  with  beneficence  and  affection  until,  in  an 
unlucky  hour,  he  revealed  his  secret  to  his  brother, 
who  straightway  usurped  his  authority,  and  gov- 
erned his  subjects  with  such  tyranny  and  cruelty 
that  De  Quincey  was  compelled  to  save  his  people 
by  destroying  them. 

These  elaborate  and  highly  organized  efforts  of 
the  young  imagination,  of  which  boys  and  girls  of 
unusual  inventiveness  are  capable,  are  imitated  on 
a  smaller  scale  by  all  normal  children.  They  endow 
inanimate  things  with  life,  and  play  and  suffer  with 
them  as  with  their  real  playmates.  The  little  girl 
not  only  talks  with  her  dolls,  but  weeps  with  and  for 
them  when  disaster  overtakes  them.  The  boy  faces 
foes  of  his  own  making  in  the  woods,  or  at  lonely 
places  in  the  road,  who  are  quite  as  real  to  him  as  the 
people  with  whom  he  lives.  By  common  agreement 
a  locality  often  becomes  a  historic  spot  to  a  whole 
group  of  boys ;  enemies  are  met  and  overcome  there ; 
grave  perils  are  bravely  faced ;  and  the  magic  some- 
times lingers  long  after  the  dream  has  been  dis- 
solved in  the  dawning  light  of  definite  knowledge. 
Childhood  is  one  long  day  of  discovery ;  first,  to  the 
unfolding  spirit,  there  is  revealed  a  wonderland 
partly  actual  and  partly  created  by  the  action  of  the 
mind;  then  follows  the  slow  awakening,  when  the 
growing  boy  or  girl  learns  to  distinguish  between 
fact  and  fancy,  and  to  separate  the  real  from  the 
imaginary. 

This  process  of  learning  to  "  see  things  as  they 


Introduction  xiii 

are  "  is  often  regarded  as  the  substance  of  education, 
and  to  be  able  to  distinguish  sharply  and  accurately 
between  reality  and  vision,  actual  and  imaginary 
image  is  accepted  as  the  test  of  thorough  training 
of  the  intelligence.  What  really  takes  place  is  the 
readjustment  of  the  work  of  the  faculties  so  as  to 
secure  harmonious  action ;  and  in  the  happy  and 
sound  development  of  the  nature  the  imagination 
does  not  give  place  to  observation,  but  deals  with 
principles,  forces  and  laws  instead  of  with  things. 
The  loss  of  vision  is  never  compensated  for  by  the 
gain  of  sight ;  to  see  a  thing  one  must  use  his  mind 
quite  as  much  as  his  eye.  It  too  often  happens,  as 
the  result  of  our  educational  methods,  that  in  train- 
ing the  observer  we  blight  the  poet;  and  the  poet 
is,  after  all,  the  most  important  person  in  society. 
He  keeps  the  soul  of  his  fellows  alive.  Without  him 
the  modern  world  would  become  one  vast,  dreary, 
soul-destroying  Coketown,  and  man  would  sink  to 
the  level  of  Gradgrind.  The  practical  man  de- 
velops the  resources  of  the  country,  the  man  of 
vision  discerns,  formulates  and  directs  its  spiritual 
policy  and  growth ;  the  mechanic  builds  the  house, 
but  the  architect  creates  it;  the  artisan  makes  the 
tools,  but  the  artist  uses  them ;  the  observer  sees  and 
records  the  fact,  but  the  scientist  discovers  the  law ; 
the  man  of  affairs  manages  the  practical  concerns 
of  the  world  from  day  to  day,  but  the  poet  makes  it 
spiritual,  significant,  interesting,  worth  living  in. 

The  modern  child  passes  through  the  same  stages 
as  did  the  children  of  four  thousand  years  ago.  He, 
too,  is  a  poet.    He  believes  that  the  world  about  him 


XIV  Introduction 

throbs  with  Hfe  and  is  peopled  with  all  manner  of 
strange,  beautiful,  powerful  folk,  who  live  just  out- 
side the  range  of  his  sight ;  he,  too,  personifies  light 
and  heat  and  storm  and  wind  and  cold  as  his  re- 
mote ancestors  did.  He,  too,  lives  in  and  through 
his  imagination;  and  if,  in  later  life,  he  grows  in 
power  and  becomes  a  creative  man,  his  achievements 
are  the  fruits  of  the  free  and  vigorous  life  of  his 
imagination.  The  higher  kinds  of  power,  the  higher 
opportunities  of  mind,  the  richer  resources,  the 
springs  of  the  deeper  happiness,  are  open  to  him  in 
the  exact  degree  in  which  he  is  able  to  use  his  im- 
agination with  individual  freedom  and  intelligence. 
Formal  education  makes  small  provision  for  this 
great  need  of  his  nature ;  it  trains  his  eye,  his  hand, 
his  faculty  of  observation,  his  ability  to  reason,  his 
capacity  for  resolute  action;  but  it  takes  little  ac- 
count of  that  higher  faculty  which,  cooperating  with 
the  other  faculties,  makes  him  an  architect  instead  of 
a  builder,  an  artist  instead  of  an  artisan,  a  poet  in- 
stead of  a  drudge. 

The  fairy  tale  belongs  to  the  child  and  ought  al- 
ways to  be  within  his  reach,  not  only  because  it  is  his 
special  literary  form  and  his  nature  craves  it,  but 
because  it  is  one  of  the  most  vital  of  the  textbooks 
offered  to  him  in  the  school  of  life.  In  ultimate  im- 
portance it  outranks  the  arithmetic,  the  grammar, 
the  geography,  the  manuals  of  science ;  for  without 
the  aid  of  the  imagination  none  of  these  books  is 
really  comprehensible. 

Hamilton  Wright  Mabie. 

March,  1905. 


Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 


FAIRY    TALES     EVERY     CHILD 
SHOULD     KNOW 

CHAPTER    I 

ONE   EYE,    TWO    EYES,    THREE    EYES 

There  was  once  a  woman  who  had  three  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  the  eldest  was  named  ''  One  Eye,"  be- 
cause she  had  only  one  eye  in  the  middle  of  her  fore- 
head. The  second  had  two  eyes,  like  other  people, 
and  she  was  called  ''  Two  Eyes."  The  youngest  had 
three  eyes,  two  like  her  second  sister,  and  one  in  the 
middle  of  her  forehead,  like  the  eldest,  and  she  bore 
the  name  of  "  Three  Eyes." 

Now  because  little  Two  Eyes  looked  just  like 
other  people,  her  mother  and  sisters  could  not  en- 
dure her.  They  said  to  her,  ''  You  are  not  better 
than  common  folks,  with  your  two  eyes ;  you  don't 
belong  to  us." 

So  they  pushed  her  about,  and  threw  all  their  old 
clothes  to  her  for  her  to  wear,  and  gave  her  only 
the  pieces  that  were  left  to  eat,  and  did  everything 
that  they  could  to  make  her  miserable.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  little  Two  Eyes  was  sent  into  the  fields 
to  take  care  of  the  goats,  and  she  was  often  very 
hungry,  although  her  sisters  had  as  much  as  they 
liked  to  eat.  So  one  day  she  seated  herself  on  a 
mound  in  the  field,  and  began  to  weep  and  cry  so 
bitterly  that  two  little  rivulets  flowed  from  her  eyes. 


2         Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Once,  in  the  midst  of  her  sorrow  she  looked  up,  and 
saw  a  woman  standing  near  her  who  said,  "  What 
are  you  weeping  for,  little  Two  Eyes  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  help  weeping,"  she  replied ;  "  for  be- 
cause I  have  two  eyes,  like  other  people,  my  mother 
and  sisters  cannot  bear  me ;  they  push  me  about 
from  one  corner  to  another  and  make  we  wear  their 
old  clothes,  and  give  me  nothing  to  eat  but  what  is 
left,  so  that  I  am  always  hungry.  To-day  they  gave 
me  so  little  that  I  am  nearly  starved." 

"  Dry  up  your  tears,  little  Two  Eyes,"  said  the 
wise  woman ;  "  I  will  tell  you  something  to  do 
which  will  prevent  you  from  ever  being  hungry 
again.    You  have  only  to  say  to  your  own  goat : 

'' '  Little  goat,  if  you're  able, 
Pray  deck  out  my  table,' 

and  immediately  there  will  be  a  pretty  little  table 
before  you  full  of  all  sorts  of  good  things  for  you 
to  eat,  as  much  as  you  like.  And  when  you  have 
had  enough,  and  you  do  not  want  the  table  any 
more,  you  need  only  say: 

*' '  Little  goat,  when  you're  able, 
Remove  my  nice  table,' 

and  it  will  vanish  from  your  eyes." 

Then  the  wise  woman  went  away.  "  Now," 
thought  little  Two  Eyes,  ''  I  will  try  if  what  she 
says  is  true,  for  I  am  very  hungry,"  so  she  said: 

"  Little  goat,  if  you're  able, 
Pray  deck  out  my  table." 

The  words  were  scarcely  spoken,  when  a  beauti- 


One  Eye,  Two  Eyes,  Three  Eyes  3 

ful  little  table  stood  really  before  her ;  it  had  a  white 
cloth  and  plates,  and  knives  and  forks,  and  silver 
spoons,  and  such  a  delicious  dinner,  smoking  hot 
as  if  it  had  just  come  from  the  kitchen.  Then  little 
Two  Eyes  sat  down  and  said  the  shortest  grace  she 
knew — "  Pray  God  be  our  guest  for  all  time. 
Amen  " — before  she  allowed  herself  to  taste  any- 
thing. But  oh,  how  she  did  enjoy  her  dinner!  and 
when  she  had  finished,  she  said,  as  the  wise  woman 
had  taught  her: 

"  Little  goat,  when  you're  able, 
Remove  my  nice  table." 

In  a  moment,  the  table  and  everything  upon  it  had 
disappeared.  "  That  is  a  pleasant  way  to  keep 
house,"  said  little  Two  Eyes,  and  felt  quite  con- 
tented and  happy.  In  the  evening,  when  she  went 
home  with  the  goat,  she  found  an  earthenware  dish 
with  some  scraps  which  her  sisters  had  left  for  her, 
but  she  did  not  touch  them.  The  next  morning  she 
went  away  with  the  goat,  leaving  them  behind 
where  they  had  been  placed  for  her.  The  first  and 
second  times  that  she  did  so,  the  sisters  did  not 
notice  it;  but  when  they  found  it  happened  every 
day,  they  said  one  to  the  other,  "  There  is  something 
strange  about  little  Two  Eyes,  she  leaves  her  sup- 
per every  day,  and  all  that  has  been  put  for  her  has 
been  wasted ;  she  must  get  food  somewhere  else." 

So  they  determined  to  find  out  the  truth,  and  they 
arranged  that  when  Two  Eyes  took  her  goat  to  the 
field.  One  Eye  should  go  with  her  to  take  particular 
notice  of  what  she  did,  and  discover  if  anything 
was  brought  for  her  to  eat  and  drink. 


4         Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

So  when  Two  Eyes  started  with  her  goat,  One 
Eye  said  to  her,  "  I  am  going  with  you  to-day  to 
see  if  the  goat  gets  her  food  properly  while  you  are 
watching  the  rest." 

But  Two  Eyes  knew  what  she  had  in  her  mind. 
So  she  drove  the  goat  into  the  long  grass,  and  said, 
''  Come,  One  Eye,  let  us  sit  down  here  and  rest,  and 
I  will  sing  to  you." 

One  Eye  seated  herself,  and,  not  being  accus- 
tomed to  walk  so  far,  or  to  be  out  in  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  she  began  to  feel  tired,  and  as  little  Two 
Eyes  kept  on  singing,  she  closed  her  one  eye  and 
fell  fast  asleep. 

When  Two  Eyes  saw  this,  she  knew  that  One 
Eye  could  not  betray  her,  so  she  said : 

"  Little  goat,  if  you  are  able. 
Come  and  deck  my  pretty  table." 

She  seated  herself  when  it  appeared,  and  ate  and 
drank  very  quickly,  and  when  she  had  finished  she 
said: 

"  Little  goat,  when  you  are  able, 
Come  and  clear  away  my  table." 

It  vanished  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye;  and  then 
Two  Eyes  woke  up  One  Eye,  and  said,  "  Little  One 
Eye,  you  are  a  clever  one  to  watch  goats ;  for,  while 
you  are  asleep,  they  might  be  running  all  over  the 
world.     Come,  let  us  go  home !  " 

So  they  went  to  the  house,  and  little  Two  Eyes 
again  left  the  scraps  on  the  dish  untouched,  and 
One  Eye  could  not  tell  her  mother  whether  little 
Two  Eyes  had  eaten  anything  in  the  field;  for  she 
said  to  excuse  herself,  ''  I  was  asleep." 


One  Eye,  Two  Eyes,  Three  Eyes  5 

The  next  day  the  mother  said  to  Three  Eyes, 
*'  You  must  go  to  the  field  this  time,  and  find  out 
whether  there  is  anyone  who  brings  food  to  Httle 
Two  Eyes ;  for  she  must  eat  and  drink  secretly." 

So  when  little  Two  Eyes  started  with  her  goat, 
Three  Eyes  followed,  and  said,  ''  I  am  going  with 
you  to-day,  to  see  if  the  goats  are  properly  fed  and 
watched." 

But  Two  Eyes  knew  her  thoughts ;  so  she  led  the 
goat  through  the  long  grass  to  tire  Three  Eyes,  and 
at  last  she  said,  "  Let  us  sit  down  here  and  rest, 
and  I  will  sing  to  you.  Three  Eyes." 

She  was  glad  to  sit  down,  for  the  walk  and  the 
heat  of  the  sun  had  really  tired  her;  and,  as  her 
sister  continued  her  song,  she  was  obliged  to  close 
two  of  her  eyes,  and  they  slept,  but  not  the  third. 
In  fact.  Three  Eyes  was  wide  awake  with  one  eye, 
and  heard  and  saw  all  that  Two  Eyes  did ;  for  poor 
little  Two  Eyes,  thinking  she  was  asleep,  said  her 
speech  to  the  goat,  and  the  table  came  with  all  the 
good  things  on  it,  and  was  carried  away  when  Two 
Eyes  had  eaten  enough;  and  the  cunning  Three 
Eyes  saw  it  all  with  her  one  eye.  But  she  pre- 
tended to  be  asleep  when  her  sister  came  to  wake 
her  and  told  her  she  was  going  home. 

That  evening,  when  little  Two  Eyes  again  left 
the  supper  they  placed  aside  for  her.  Three  Eyes 
said  to  her  mother,  "  I  know  where  the  proud  thing 
gets  her  good  eating  and  drinking ;  "  and  then  she 
described  all  she  had  seen  in  the  field.  "  I  saw  it 
all  with  one  eye,"  she  said ;  "  for  she  had  made  my 
other  two  eyes  close  with  her  fine  singing,  but 
luckily  the  one  in  my  forehead  remained  open." 


6         Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Then  the  envious  mother  cried  out  to  poor  Httle 
Two  Eyes,  "  You  wish  to  have  better  food  than  we, 
do  you  ?  You  shall  lose  your  wish  !  "  She  took  up 
a  butcher's  knife,  went  out,  and  stuck  the  good 
little  goat  in  the  heart,  and  it  fell  dead. 

When  little  Two  Eyes  saw  this,  she  went  out  into 
the  field,  seated  herself  on  a  mound,  and  wept  most 
bitter  tears. 

Presently  the  wise  woman  stood  again  before  her, 
and  said,  ''Little  Two  Eyes,  why  do  you  weep?" 

*'  Ah !  "  she  replied,  "  I  must  weep.  The  goat, 
who  every  day  spread  my  table  so  beautifully,  has 
been  killed  by  my  mother,  and  I  shall  have  again  to 
suffer  from  hunger  and  sorrow." 

"  Little  Two  Eyes,"  said  the  wise  woman,  "  I 
will  give  you  some  good  advice.  Go  home,  and  ask 
your  sister  to  give  you  the  inside  of  the  slaughtered 
goat,  and  then  go  and  bury  it  in  the  ground  in  front 
of  the  house-door." 

On  saying  this  the  wise  woman  vanished. 

Little  Two  Eyes  went  home  quickly,  and  said  to 
her  sister,  "  Dear  sister,  give  me  some  part  of  my 
poor  goat.  I  don't  want  anything  valuable;  only 
give  me  the  inside." 

Her  sister  laughed,  and  said,  **  Of  course  you  can 
have  that,  if  you  don't  want  anything  else." 

So  little  Two  Eyes  took  the  inside ;  and  in  the 
evening,  when  all  was  quiet,  buried  it  in  the  ground 
outside  the  house-door,  as  the  wise  woman  had  told 
her  to  do. 

The  next  morning,  when  they  all  rose  and  looked 
out  of  the  window,  there  stood  a  most  wonderful 
tree,  with  leaves  of  silver  and  apples  of  gold  hang- 


One  Eye,  Tzvo  Eyes,  Three  Eyes  7 

ing  between  them.  Nothing  in  the  wide  world 
could  be  more  beautiful  or  more  costly.  They  none 
of  them  knew  how  the  tree  could  come  there  in  one 
night,  excepting  little  Two  Eyes.  She  supposed  it 
had  grown  up  from  the  inside  of  the  goat;  for  it 
stood  over  where  she  had  buried  it  in  the  earth. 

Then  said  the  mother  to  little  One  Eye,  "  Climb 
up,  my  child,  and  break  off  some  of  the  fruit  from 
the  tree." 

One  Eye  climbed  up,  but  when  she  tried  to  catch 
a  branch  and  pluck  one  of  the  apples,  it  escaped 
from  her  hand,  and  so  it  happened  every  time  she 
made  the  attempt,  and,  do  what  she  would,  she 
could  not  reach  one. 

"  Three  Eyes,"  said  the  mother,  "  climb  up,  and 
try  what  you  can  do ;  perhaps  you  will  be  able  to 
see  better  with  your  three  eyes  than  One  Eye  can." 

One  Eye  slid  down  from  the  tree,  and  Three  Eyes 
climbed  up.  But  Three  Eyes  was  not  more  skilful  ; 
with  all  her  efforts  she  could  not  draw  the  branches, 
nor  the  fruit,  near  enough  to  pluck  even  a  leaf,  for 
they  sprang  back  as  she  put  out  her  hand. 

At  last  the  mother  was  impatient,  and  climbed  up 
herself,  but  with  no  more  success,  for,  as  she  ap- 
peared to  grasp  a  branch,  or  fruit,  her  hand  closed 
upon  thin  air. 

"  May  I  try  ?  "  said  little  Two  Eyes ;  "  perhaps  I 
may  succeed." 

"  You,  indeed  !  "  cried  her  sisters ;  "  you,  with 
your  two  eyes,  what  can  you  do  ?  " 

But  Two  Eyes  climbed  up,  and  the  golden  apples 
did  not  fly  back  from  her  when  she  touched  them, 
but  almost  laid  themselves  on  her  hand,  and  she 


8         Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

plucked  them  one  after  another,  till  she  carried 
down  her  own  little  apron  full. 

The  mother  took  them  from  her,  and  gave  them 
to  her  sisters,  as  she  said  little  Two  Eyes  did  not 
handle  them  properly;  but  this  was  only  from  jeal- 
ousy, because  little  Two  Eyes  was  the  only  one  who 
could  reach  the  fruit,  and  she  went  into  the  house 
feeling  more  spiteful  to  her  than  ever. 

It  happened  that  while  all  three  sisters  were 
standing  under  the  tree  together  a  young  knight 
rode  by.  "  Run  away,  quick,  and  hide  yourself, 
little  Two  Eyes;  hide  yourself  somewhere,  for  we 
shall  be  quite  ashamed  for  you  to  be  seen."  Then 
they  pushed  the  poor  girl,  in  great  haste,  under  an 
empty  cask,  which  stood  near  the  tree,  and  several 
of  the  golden  apples  that  she  had  plucked  along 
with  her. 

As  the  knight  came  nearer  they  saw  he  was  a 
handsome  man ;  and  presently  he  halted,  and  looked 
with  wonder  and  pleasure  at  the  beautiful  tree  with 
its  silver  leaves  and  golden  fruit. 

At  last  he  spoke  to  the  sisters,  and  asked :  ''  To 
whom  does  this  beautiful  tree  belong?  If  a  man 
possessed  only  one  branch  he  might  obtain  all  he 
wished  for  in  the  world." 

*'  This  tree  belongs  to  us,"  said  the  two  sisters, 
'*  and  we  will  break  off  a  branch  for  you  if  you 
like."  They  gave  themselves  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
in  trying  to  do  as  they  offered;  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose, for  the  branches  and  the  fruit  evaded  their 
efforts,  and  sprung  back  at  every  touch. 

''  This    is    wonderful,"    exclaimed    the    knight, 


One  Eye,  Two  Eyes,  Three  Eyes  g 

"  that  the  tree  should  belong  to  you,  and  yet  you  are 
not  able  to  gather  even  a  branch." 

They  persisted,  however,  in  declaring  that  the 
tree  was  their  own  property.  At  this  moment  little 
Two  Eyes,  who  was  angry  because  her  sisters  had 
not  told  the  truth,  caused  two  of  the  golden  apples 
to  slip  out  from  under  the  cask,  and  they  rolled  on 
till  they  reached  the  feet  of  the  knight's  horse. 
When  he  saw  them,  he  asked  in  astonishment  where 
they  came  from. 

The  two  ugly  maidens  replied  that  they  had  an- 
other sister,  but  they  dared  not  let  him  see  her,  for 
she  had  only  two  eyes,  like  common  people,  and  was 
named  little  Two  Eyes. 

But  the  knight  felt  very  anxious  to  see  her,  and 
called  out,  *'  Little  Two  Eyes,  come  here.''  Then 
came  Two  Eyes,  quite  comforted,  from  the  empty 
cask,  and  the  knight  was  astonished  to  find  her  so 
beautiful. 

Then  he  said,  ''  Little  Two  Eyes,  can  you  break 
off  a  branch  of  the  tree  for  me  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,"  she  replied,  "  I  can,  very  easily,  for 
the  tree  belongs  to  me."  And  she  climbed  up,  and, 
without  any  trouble,  broke  off  a  branch  with  its 
silver  leaves  and  golden  fruit  and  gave  it  to  the 
knight. 

He  looked  down  at  her  as  she  stood  by  his  horse, 
and  said :  "  Little  Two  Eyes,  what  shall  I  give  you 
for  this?" 

"  Ah !  "  she  answered,  "  I  suffer  from  hunger 
and  thirst,  and  sorrow,  and  trouble,  from  early 
morning  till  late  at  night;  if  you  would  only  take 
me  with  you,  and  release  me,  I  should  be  so  happy." 


lo       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Then  the  knight  Hfted  the  Httle  maiden  on  his 
horse,  and  rode  home  with  her  to  his  father's  castle. 
There  she  was  given  beautiful  clothes  to  wear,  and 
as  much  to  eat  and  drink  as  she  wished,  and  as  she 
grew  up  the  young  knight  loved  her  so  dearly  that 
they  were  married  with  great  rejoicings. 

Now,  when  the  two  sisters  saw  little  Two  Eyes 
carried  away  by  the  handsome  young  knight,  they 
were  overjoyed  at  their  good  fortune.  **  The  won- 
derful tree  belongs  to  us  now,"  they  said ;  "  even  if 
we  cannot  break  off  a  branch,  yet  everybody  who 
passes  will  stop  to  admire  it,  and  make  acquaintance 
with  us,  and,  who  knows?  we  may  get  husbands 
after  all." 

But  when  they  rose  the  next  morning,  lo!  the 
tree  had  vanished,  and  with  it  all  their  hopes.  And 
on  this  very  morning,  when  little  Two  Eyes  looked 
out  of  her  chamber  window  of  the  castle,  she  saw, 
to  her  great  joy,  that  the  tree  had  followed  her. 

Little  Two  Eyes  lived  for  a  long  time  in  great 
happiness ;  but  she  heard  nothing  of  her  sisters,  till 
one  day  two  poor  women  came  to  the  castle,  to  beg 
for  alms.  Little  Two  Eyes  saw  them,  and,  looking 
earnestly  in  their  faces,  she  recognised  her  two 
sisters,  who  had  become  so  poor  that  they  were 
obliged  to  beg  their  bread  from  door  to  door. 

But  the  good  sister  received  them  most  kindly, 
and  promised  to  take  care  of  them  and  give  them 
all  they  wanted.  And  then  they  did  indeed  repent 
and  feel  sorry  for  having  treated  her-  so  badly  in 
their  youthful  days.  ^^^^ 


CHAPTER    II 


THE   MAGIC   MIRROR 


One  day  in  the  middle  of  winter,  when  the  snow- 
flakes  fell  from  the  sky  like  feathers,  a  queen  sat  at 
a  window  netting.  Her  netting-needle  was  of  black 
ebony,  and  as  she  worked,  and  the  snow  glittered, 
she  pricked  her  finger,  and  three  drops  of  blood  fell 
into  the  snow.  The  red  spots  looked  so  beautiful 
in  the  white  snow  that  the  queen  thought  to  herself : 

"  Oh,  if  I  only  had  a  little  child,  I  should  like  it 
to  be  as  fair  as  snow,  as  rosy  as  the  red  blood,  and 
with  hair  and  eyes  as  black  as  ebony." 

Very  soon  after  this  the  queen  had  a  little 
daughter  who  was  very  fair,  had  rosy  cheeks,  and 
hair  as  black  as  ebony ;  and  they  gave  her  the  name 
of  Snow-white.  But  at  the  birth  of  the  little  child 
the  queen  died. 

When  Snow-white  was  a  year  old,  the  king  took 
another  wife.  She  was  very  handsome,  but  so 
proud  and  vain  that  she  could  not  endure  that  any- 
one should  surpass  her  in  beauty.  She  possessed  a 
wonderful  mirror,  and  when  she  stood  before  it  to 
look  at  herself  she  would  say: 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall, 
Am  I  most  beautiful  of  all  ?  " 


12       Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Then  the  mirror  would  reply: 

"  Young  queen,  thou  art  so  wondrous  fair. 
None  can  with  thee  at  all  compare." 

Then  she  would  go  away  quite  contented,  for 
she  knew  the  magic  mirror  could  speak  only  the 
truth. 

Years  went  by,  and  as  Snow-white  grew  up,  she 
became  day  after  day  more  beautiful,  till  she 
reached  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  then  people 
began  to  talk  about  her,  and  say  that  she  would  be 
more  lovely  even  than  the  queen  herself.  So  the 
proud  woman  went  to  her  magic  looking-glass,  and 
asked : 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall. 
Am  I  most  beautiful  of  all?  " 

But  the  mirror  answered: 

"  Queen,  thou  are  lovely  still  to  see. 
But  Snow-white  w^ill  be 
A  thousand  times  more  beautiful  than  thee." 

Then  the  queen  was  terrified,  and  turned  green 
and  yellow  with  jealousy.  If  she  had  caught  sight 
of  Snow-white  at  that  moment,  she  would  have  been 
ready  to  tear  her  heart  out  of  her  body,  she  hated 
the  maiden  so  fiercely. 

And  this  jealousy  and  envy  grew  every  day 
stronger  and  stronger  in  her  heart,  like  a  disease, 
till  she  had  no  rest  day  or  night. 

At  last  she  sent  for  a  hunter,  who  lived  near  a 
forest,  and  said  to  him,  "  Hunter,  I  want  to  get  rid 
of  that  child.  Take  her  out  into  the  wood,  and  if 
you  bring  me  some  proofs  that  she  is  dead,  I  will 


The  Magic  Mirror  13 

reward  you  handsomely.  Never  let  her  appear  be- 
fore my  eyes  again." 

So  the  hunter  enticed  the  child  into  the  wood ;  but 
when  he  took  out  his  hunting-knife  to  thrust  into 
Snow-white's  innocent  heart,  she  fell  on  her  knees 
and  wept,  and  said,  "  Ah,  dear  hunter,  leave  me  my 
life ;  I  will  run  away  into  the  wild  wood,  and  never, 
never  come  home  any  more." 

She  looked  so  innocent  and  beautiful  as  she  knelt, 
that  the  hunter's  heart  was  moved  with  compas- 
sion :  "  Run  away,  then,  thou  poor  child,"  he  cried ; 
"  I  cannot  harm  thee." 

Snow-white  thanked  him  so  sweetly,  and  was  out 
of  sight  in  a  few  moments. 

"  She  will  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts,"  he  said 
to  himself.  But  the  thought  that  he  had  not  killed 
her  was  as  if  a  stone-weight  had  been  lifted  from 
his  heart. 

To  satisfy  the  queen,  he  took  part  of  the  inside  of 
a  young  fawn,  which  the  wicked  woman  thought 
was  poor  little  Snow-white,  and  was  overjoyed  to 
think  she  was  dead. 

But  the  poor  little  motherless  child,  when  she 
found  herself  alone  in  the  wood,  and  saw  nothing 
but  trees  and  leaves,  was  dreadfully  frightened,  and 
knew  not  what  to  do.  At  last  she  began  to  run 
over  the  sharp  stones  and  through  the  thorns,  and 
though  the  wild  beasts  sprang  out  before  her,  they 
did  her  no  harm.  She  ran  on  as  long  as  she  could, 
till  her  little  feet  became  quite  sore;  and  towards 
evening  she  saw,  to  her  great  joy,  a  pretty  little 
house.  So  she  went  up  to  it,  and  found  the  door 
open  aTid  no  one  at  home. 


14       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

It  was  a  tiny  little  house,  but  everything  in  it  was 
so  clean  and  neat  and  elegant  that  it  is  beyond  de- 
scription. In  the  middle  of  the  room  stood  a  small 
table,  covered  with  a  snow-white  table-cloth,  ready 
for  supper.  On  it  were  arranged  seven  little  plates, 
seven  little  spoons,  seven  little  knives  and  forks, 
and  seven  mugs.  By  the  wall  stood  seven  little 
beds,  near  each  other,  covered  with  white  quilts. 

Poor  Snow-white,  who  was  hungry  and  thirsty, 
ate  a  few  vegetables  and  a  little  bread  from  each 
plate,  and  drank  a  little  drop  of  wine  from  each  cup, 
for  she  did  not  like  to  take  all  she  wanted  from  one 
alone.  After  this,  feeling  very  tired,  she  thought 
she  would  lie  down  and  rest  on  one  of  the  beds,  but 
she  found  it  difficult  to  choose  one  to  suit  her.  One 
was  too  long,  another  too  short;  so  she  tried  them 
all  till  she  came  to  the  seventh,  and  that  was  so  com- 
fortable that  she  laid  herself  down,  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep. 

When  it  was  quite  dark  the  masters  of  the  house 
came  home.  They  were  seven  little  dwarfs,  who 
dug  and  searched  in  the  mountains  for  minerals. 
First  they  lighted  seven  little  lamps,  and  as  soon  as 
the  room  was  full  of  light  they  saw  that  some  one 
had  been  there,  for  everything  did  not  stand  in  the 
order  in  which  they  had  left  it. 

Then  said  the  first,  ''  Who  has  been  sitting  in  my 
little  chair?" 

The  second  exclaimed,  "  Who  has  been  eating 
from  my  little  plate  ?  " 

The  third  cried,  "  Some  one  has  taken  part  of 
my  bread." 


The  Magic  Mirror  15 

"  Who  has  been  eating  my  vegetables  ?  "  said  the 
fourth. 

Then  said  the  fifth,  "  Some  one  has  used  my 
fork." 

The  sixth  cried,  "  And  who  has  been  cutting  with 
my  knife?  " 

"  And  some  one  has  been  drinking  out  of  my 
cup,"  said  the  seventh. 

Then  the  eldest  looked  at  his  bed,  and,  seeing  that 
it  looked  tumbled,  cried  out  that  some  one  had  been 
upon  it.  The  others  came  running  forward,  and 
found  all  their  beds  in  the  same  condition.  But 
when  the  seventh  approached  his  bed,  and  saw 
Snow-white  lying  there  fast  asleep,  he  called  the 
others,  who  came  quickly,  and  holding  their  lights 
over  their  heads,  cried  out  in  wonder  as  they  beheld 
the  sleeping  child.  "  Oh,  what  a  beautiful  little 
child !  "  they  said  to  each  other,  and  were  so  de- 
lighted that  they  would  not  awaken  her,  but  left  her 
to  sleep  as  long  as  she  liked  in  the  little  bed,  while 
its  owner  slept  with  one  of  his  companions,  and  so 
the  night  passed  away. 

In  the  morning,  when  Snow-white  awoke,  and 
saw  all  the  dwarfs,  she  was  terribly  frightened. 
But  they  spoke  kindly  to  her,  till  she  lost  all  fear, 
and  they  asked  her  name. 

"  I  am  called  Snow-white,"  she  replied. 

"  But  how  came  you  to  our  house?  "  asked  one. 

Then  she  related  to  them  all  that  had  happened; 
how  her  stepmother  had  sent  her  into  the  wood  with 
the  hunter,  who  had  spared  her  life,  and  that,  after 
wandering  about  for  a  whole  day,  she  had  found 
*heir  house. 


1 6       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  dwarfs  talked  a  little  while  together,  and 
then  one  said,  '*  Do  you  think  you  could  be  our  little 
housekeeper,  to  make  the  beds,  cook  the  dinner,  and 
wash  and  sew  and  knit  for  us,  and  keep  everything 
neat  and  clean  and  orderly?  If  you  can,  then  you 
shall  stay  here  with  us,  and  nobody  shall  hurt  you." 

''  Oh  yes,  I  will  try,"  said  Snow-white.  So  they 
let  her  stay,  and  she  was  a  clever  little  thing.  She 
managed  very  well,  and  kept  the  house  quite  clean 
and  in  order.  And  while  they  were  gone  to  the 
mountains  to  find  gold,  she  got  their  supper  ready, 
and  they  were  very  happy  together. 

But  every  morning  when  they  left  her,  the  kind 
little  dwarfs  warned  Snow-white  to  be  careful. 
While  the  maiden  was  alone  they  knew  she  was  in 
danger,  and  told  her  not  to  show  herself,  for  her 
stepmother  would  soon  find  out  where  she  was,  and 
said,  ''  Whatever  you  do,  let  nobody  into  the  house 
while  we  are  gone." 

After  the  wicked  queen  had  proved,  as  she 
thought,  that  Snow-white  was  dead,  she  felt  quite 
satisfied  there  was  no  one  in  the  world  now  likely 
to  become  so  beautiful  as  herself,  so  she  stepped  up 
to  her  mirror  and  asked : 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall. 
Who  is  most  beautiful  of  all?" 

To  her  vexation  the  mirror  replied: 

"  Fair  queen,  at  home  there  is  none  like  thee, 
But  over  the  mountains  is  Snow-white  free. 
With  seven  little  dwarfs,  who  are  strange  to  see; 
A  thousand  times  fairer  than  thou  is  she." 


The  Magic  Mirror  17 

The  queen  was  furious  when  she  heard  this,  for 
she  knew  the  mirror  was  truthful,  and  that  the 
hunter  must  have  deceived  her,  and  that  Snow- 
white  still  lived.  So  she  sat  and  pondered  over 
these  facts,  thinking  what  would  be  best  to  do,  for 
as  long  as  she  was  not  the  most  beautiful  woman 
in  the  land,  her  jealousy  gave  her  no  peace.  After 
a  time,  she  decided  what  to  do.  First,  she  painted 
her  face,  and  whitened  her  hair ;  then  she  dressed 
herself  in  old  woman's  clothes,  and  was  so  dis- 
guised that  no  one  could  have  recognised  her. 

Watching  an  opportunity,  she  left  the  castle,  and 
took  her  way  to  the  wood  near  the  mountains, 
where  the  seven  little  dwarfs  lived.  When  she 
reached  the  door,  she  knocked,  and  cried,  "  Beauti- 
ful goods  to  sell ;  beautiful  goods  to  sell." 

Snow-white,  when  she  heard  it,  peeped  through 
the  window,  and  said,  *'  Good-day,  old  lady.  What 
have  you  in  your  basket  for  me  to, buy?  " 

"  Everything  that  is  pretty,"  she  replied ;  "  laces, 
and  pearls,  and  earrings,  and  bracelets  of  every 
colour ;  "  and  she  held  up  her  basket,  which  was 
lined  with  glittering  silk. 

"  I  can  let  in  this  respectable  old  woman," 
thought  Snow-white ;  "  she  will  not  harm  me."  So 
she  unbolted  the  door,  and  told  her  to  come  in.  Oh, 
how  delighted  Snow-white  was  with  the  pretty 
things ;  she  bought  several  trinkets,  and  a  beautiful 
silk  lace  for  her  stays,  but  she  did  not  see  the  evil 
eye  of  the  old  woman  who  was  watching  her.  Pres- 
ently she  said,  "  Child,  come  here ;  I  will  show  you 
how  to  lace  your  stays  proj>erly."  Snow-white  had 
no  suspicion,  so  she  placed  herself  before  the  old 


1 8       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

woman  that  she  might  lace  her  stays.  But  no  sooner 
was  the  lace  in  the  holes  than  she  began  to  lace  so 
fast  and  pull  so  tight  that  Snow-white  could  not 
breathe,  and  presently  fell  down  at  her  feet  as  if 
dead. 

''  Now  you  are  beautiful  indeed,"  said  the  woman, 
and,  fancying  she  heard  footsteps,  she  rushed  away 
as  quickly  as  she  could. 

Not  long  after,  the  seven  dwarfs  came  home,  and 
they  were  terribly  frightened  to  see  dear  little 
Snow-white  lying  on  the  ground  without  motion, 
as  if  she  were  dead.  They  lifted  her  up,  and  saw 
in  a  moment  that  her  stays  had  been  laced  too  tight. 
Quickly  they  cut  the  stay-lace  in  two,  till  Snow- 
white  began  to  breathe  a  little,  and  after  a  time  was 
restored  to  life.  But  when  the  dwarfs  heard  what 
had  happened,  they  said :  "  That  old  market-woman 
was  no  other  than  your  wicked  stepmother.  Snow- 
white,  you  must  never  again  let  anyone  in  while  we 
are  not  with  you." 

The  wicked  queen  when  she  returned  home,  after, 
as  she  thought,  killing  Snow-white,  went  to  her 
looking-glass  and  asked : 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall, 
Am  I  most  beautiful  of  all  ?  " 

Then  answered  the  mirror: 

'*  Queen,  thou  art  not  the  fairest  now ; 
Snow-white  over  the  mountain's  brow 
A  thousand  times  fairer  is  than  thou." 

When  she  heard  this  she  was  so  terrified  that  the 
blood  rushed  to  her  heart,  for  she  knew  that  after 


The  Magic  Mirror  19 

all  she  had  done  Snow-white  was  still  alive.  "  I 
must  think  of  something  else,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  to  get  rid  of  that  odious  child." 

Now  this  wicked  queen  had  some  knowledge  of 
witchcraft,  and  she  knew  how  to  poison  a  comb,  so 
that  whoever  used  it  would  fall  dead.  This  the 
wicked  stepmother  soon  got  ready,  and  dressing 
herself  again  like  an  old  woman,  but  quite  different 
from  the  last,  she  started  off  to  travel  over  the 
mountains  to  the  dwarfs'  cottage. 

When  Snow-white  heard  the  old  cry,  "  Goods  to 
sell,  fine  goods  to  sell,"  she  looked  out  of  the  window 
and  said : 

"  Go  away,  go  away ;  I  must  not  let  you  in." 

"  Look  at  this,  then,"  said  the  woman ;  "  you 
shall  have  it  for  your  own  if  you  like,"  and  she  held 
yp  before  the  child's  eyes  the  bright  tortoise-shell 
comb  which  she  had  poisoned. 

Poor  Snow-white  could  not  refuse  such  a  present, 
so  she  opened  the  door  and  let  the  woman  in,  quite 
forgetting  the  advice  of  the  dwarfs.  After  she  had 
bought  a  few  things,  the  old  woman  said,  "  Let  me 
try  this  comb  in  your  hair ;  it  is  so  fine  it  will  make 
it  beautifully  smooth  and  glossy." 

So  Snow-white,  thinking  no  wrong,  stood  before 
the  woman  to  have  her  hair  dressed ;  but  no  sooner 
had  the  comb  touched  the  roots  of  her  hair  than  the 
poison  took  effect,  and  the  maiden  fell  to  the  ground 
lifeless. 

"  You  paragon  of  beauty,"  said  the  wicked 
woman,  **  all  has  just  happened  as  I  expected,"  and 
then  she  went  away  quickly. 

Fortunately  evening  soon  arrived,  and  the  seven 


20       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

dwarfs  returned  home.  When  they  saw  Snow- 
white  lying  dead  on  the  ground,  they  knew  at  once 
that  the  stepmother  had  been  there  again;  but  on 
seeing  the  poisoned  comb  in  her  hair  they  pulled  it 
out  quickly,  and  Snow-white  very  soon  came  to  her- 
self, and  related  all  that  had  passed. 

Again  they  warned  her  not  to  let  anyone  enter 
the  house  during  their  absence,  and  on  no  account 
to  open  the  door;  but  Snow-white  was  not  clever 
enough  to  resist  her  clever  wicked  stepmother,  and 
she  forgot  to  obey. 

The  wicked  queen  felt  sure  now  that  she  had 
really  killed  Snow-white ;  so  as  soon  as  she  returned 
home  she  went  to  her  looking-glass,  and  inquired : 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall. 
Who  is  most  beautiful  of  all?  " 

But  the  mirror  replied: 

"  Queen,  thou  art  the  fairest  here. 
But  not  when  Snow-white  is  near ; 
Over  the  mountains  still  is  she, 

'   Fairer  a  thousand  times  than  thee." 

As  the  looking-glass  thus  replied,  the  queen 
trembled  and  quaked  with  rage.  "  Snow-white  shall 
die,"  cried  she,  "  if  it  costs  me  my  own  life !  " 

Then  she  went  into  a  lonely  forbidden  chamber 
where  no  one  was  allowed  to  come,  and  poisoned  a 
beautiful  apple.  Outwardly  it  looked  ripe  and 
tempting,  of  a  pale  green  with  rosy  cheeks,  so  that 
it  made  everyone's  mouth  water  to  look  at  it,  but 
whoever  ate  even  a  small  piece  must  die. 

As  soon  as  this  apple  was  ready,  the  wicked  queen 


The  Magic  Mirror  21 

painted  her  face,  disguised  her  hair,  dressed  herself 
as  a  farmer's  wife,  and  went  again  over  the  mount- 
ains to  the  dwarfs'  cottage. 

When  she  knocked  at  the  door.  Snow-white 
stretched  her  head  out  of  the  window,  and  said,  ''  I 
dare  not  let  you  in ;  the  seven  dwarfs  have  for- 
bidden me." 

''  But  I  am  all  right,"  said  the  farmer's  wife. 
"  Stay,  I  will  show  you  my  apples.  Are  they  not 
beautiful?  let  me  make  you  a  present  of  one." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  cried  Snow-white ;  "  I  dare  not 
take  it." 

'*  What !  "  cried  the  woman,  "  are  you  afraid  it 
is  poisoned?  Look  here  now,  I  will  cut  the  apple 
in  halves;  you  shall  have  the  rosy-cheek  side,  and 
I  will  eat  the  other." 

The  apple  was  so  cleverly  made  that  the  red 
side  alone  was  poisonous.  Snow-white  longed  so 
much  for  the  beautiful  fruit  as  she  saw  the  farmer's 
wife  eat  one  half  that  she  could  not  any  longer 
resist,  but  stretched  out  her  hand  from  the  window 
and  took  the  poisoned  half.  But  no  sooner  had  she 
taken  one  mouthful  than  she  fell  on  the  ground 
dead. 

Then  the  wicked  queen  glanced  in  at  the  window 
with  a  horrible  look  in  her  eye,  and  laughed  aloud 
as  she  exclaimed: 

"  White  as  snow,  red  as  blood,  and  black  as 
ebony ;  this  time  the  dwarfs  will  not  be  able  to 
awake  thee." 

And  as  soon  as  she  arrived  at  home,  and  asked 
her  mirror  who  was  the  most  beautiful  in  the  land, 
it  replied : 


2  2       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  Fair  queen,  there  is  none  in  all  the  land 
So  beautiful  as  thou." 

Then  had  her  envious  heart  rest,  at  least  such  rest 
as  a  heart  full  of  envy  and  malice  ever  can  have. 

The  little  dwarfs,  when  they  came  home  in  the 
evening,  found  poor  Snow-white  on  the  ground; 
but  though  they  lifted  her  up,  there  were  no  signs 
of  breath  from  her  mouth,  and  they  found  she  was 
really  dead.  Yet  they  tried  in  every  way  to  restore 
her;  they  tried  to  extract  the  poison  from  her  lips, 
they  combed  her  hair,  and  washed  it  with  wine  and 
water,  but  all  to  no  purpose :  the  dear  child  gave  no 
signs  of  life,  and  at  last  they  knew  she  was  dead. 
Then  they  laid  her  on  a  bier,  and  the  seven  dwarfs 
seated  themselves  round  her,  and  wept  and  mourned 
for  three  days.  They  would  have  buried  her  then, 
but  there  was  no  change  in  her  appearance ;  her  face 
was  as  fresh,  and  her  cheeks  and  lips  had  their  usual 
colour.  Then  said  one,  "  We  cannot  lay  this  beauti- 
ful child  in  the  dark,  cold  earth." 

So  they  agreed  to  have  a  coffin  made  entirely  of 
glass,  transparent  all  over,  that  they  might  watch 
for  any  signs  of  decay,  and  they  wrote  in  letters  of 
gold  her  name  on  the  lid,  and  that  she  was  the 
daughter  of  a  king.  The  coffin  was  placed  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  and  each  of  them  watched  it 
by  turns,  so  that  it  was  never  left  alone.  And  the 
birds  of  the  air  came  near  and  mourned  for  Snow- 
white;  first  the  owl,  then  the  raven,  and  at  last  the 
dove.  Snow-white  lay  for  a  long,  long  time  in  the 
glass  coffin,  but  showed  not  the  least  signs  of  decay. 
It  seemed  as  if  she  slept;  for  her  skin  was  snow 


The  Magic  Mirror  23 

white,  her  cheeks  rosy  red,  and  her  hair  black  as 
ebony. 

It  happened  one  day  that  the  son  of  a  king,  while 
riding  in  the  forest,  came  by  chance  upon  the 
dwarfs'  house  and  asked  for  a  night's  lodging.  As 
he  left  the  next  morning  he  saw  the  coffin  on  the 
mountain-side,  with  beautiful  Snow-white  lying  in 
it,  and  read  what  was  written  upon  the  lid  in  letters 
of  gold. 

Then  he  said  to  the  dwarfs,  ''  Let  me  have  this 
coffin,  and  I  will  give  you  for  it  whatever  you  ask." 

But  the  elder  dwarf  answered,  "  We  would  not 
give  it  thee  for  all  the  gold  in  the  world." 

But  the  prince  answered,  "  Let  me  have  it  as  a 
gift,  then.  I  know  not  why,  but  my  heart  is  drawn 
towards  this  beautiful  child,  and  I  feel  I  cannot  live 
without  her.  If  you  will  let  me  have  her,  she  shall 
be  treated  with  the  greatest  honour  and  respect  as 
one  dearly  beloved." 

As  he  thus  spoke  the  good  little  dwarfs  were  full 
of  sympathy  for  him,  and  gave  him  the  coffin.  Then 
the  prince  called  his  servants,  and  the  coffin  was 
placed  on  their  shoulders,  and  they  carried  it  away, 
followed  by  the  king's  son,  who  watched  it  care- 
fully. Now  it  happened  that  one  of  them  made  a 
false  step  and  stumbled.  This  shook  the  coffin,  and 
caused  the  poisoned  piece  of  apple  which  Snow- 
white  had  bitten  to  roll  out  of  her  mouth.  A  little 
while  after  she  suddenly  opened  her  eyes,  lifted  up 
the  coffin-lid,  raised  herself  and  was  again  alive. 

"  Oh !  where  am  I  ?  "  she  cried. 

Full  of  joy,  the  king's  son  approached  her,  and 


24       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

said,  ''  Dear  Snow-white,  you  are  safe ;  you  are  with 
me." 

Then  he  related  to  her  all  that  had  happened,  and 
what  the  little  dwarfs  had  told  him  about  her,  and 
said  at  last,  ''  I  love  you  better  than  all  in  the  world 
besides,  dear  little  Snow-white,  and  you  must  come 
with  me  to  my  father's  castle  and  be  my  wife." 

Then  was  Snow-white  taken  out  of  the  coffin  and 
placed  in  a  carriage  to  travel  with  the  prince,  and 
the  king  was  so  pleased  with  his  son's  choice  that 
the  marriage  was  soon  after  celebrated  with  great 
pomp  and  magnificence. 

Now  it  happened  that  the  stepmother  of  Snow- 
white  was  invited,  among  other  guests,  to  the  wed- 
ding-feast. Before  she  left  her  house  she  stood  in 
all  her  rich  dress  before  the  magic  mirror  to  admire 
her  own  appearance,  but  she  could  not  help  saying : 

"  Mirror,  mirror  on  the  wall. 
Am  I  most  beautiful  of  all?  " 

Then  to  her  surprise  the  mirror  replied: 

"  Fair  queen,  thou  art  the  fairest  here, 
But  at  the  palace,  now. 
The  bride  will  prove  a  thousand  times 
More  beautiful  than  thou." 

Then  the  wicked  woman  uttered  a  curse,  and  was 
so  dreadfully  alarmed  that  she  knew  not  what  to  do. 
At  first  she  declared  she  would  not  go  to. this  wed- 
ding at  all,  but  she  felt  it  impossible  to  rest  until 
she  had  seen  the  bride,  so  she  determined  to  go. 
But  what  was  her  astonishment  and  vexation  when 


The  Magic  Mirror  25 

she  recognised  in  the  young  bride  Snow-white  her- 
self, now  grown  a  charming  young  woman,  and 
richly  dressed  in  royal  robes !  Her  rage  and  terror 
were  so  great  that  she  stood  still  and  could  not  move 
for  some  minutes.  At  last  she  went  into  the  ball- 
room, but  the  slippers  she  wore  were  to  her  as  iron 
bands  full  of  coals  of  fire,  in  which  she  was  obliged 
to  dance.  And  so  in  the  red,  glowing  shoes  she 
continued  to  dance  till  she  fell  dead  on  the  floor,  a 
sad  example  of  envy  and  jealousy. 


CHAPTER    III 


THE   ENCHANTED   STAG 


There  were  once  a  brother  and  sister  who  loved 
each  other  dearly ;  their  mother  was  dead,  and  their 
father  had  married  again  a  woman  who  was  most 
unkind  and  cruel  to  them.  One  day  the  boy  took 
his  sister's  hand,  and  said  to  her,  "  Dear  little  sister, 
since  our  mother  died  we  have  not  had  one  happy 
hour.  Our  stepmother  gives  us  dry  hard  crusts 
for  dinner  and  supper;  she  often  knocks  us  about, 
and  threatens  to  kick  us  out  of  the  house.  Even 
the  little  dogs  under  the  table  fare  better  than  we  do, 
for  she  often  throws  them  nice  pieces  to  eat. 
Heaven  pity  us !  Oh,  if  our  dear  mother  knew ! 
Come,  let  us  go  out  into  the  wide  world !  " 

So  they  went  out,  and  wandered  over  fields  and 
meadows  the  whole  day  till  evening.  At  last  they 
found  themselves  in  a  large  forest ;  it  began  to  rain, 
and  the  little  sister  said,  "  See,  brother,  heaven  and 
our  hearts  weep  together."  At  last,  tired  out  with 
hunger  and  sorrow,  and  the  long  journey,  they 
crept  into  a  hollow  tree,  laid  themselves  down,  and 
slept  till  morning. 

When  they  awoke  the  sun  was  high  in  the 
heavens,  and  shone  brightly  into  the  hollow  tree,  so 
they  left  their  place  of  shelter  and  wandered  away 
in  search  of  water. 


The  Enchanted  Stag  27 

*'  Oh,  I  am  so  thirsty !  "  said  the  boy.  "  If  we 
could  only  find  a  brook  or  a  stream."  He  stopped 
to  listen,  and  said,  ''  Stay,  I  think  I  hear  a  running 
stream."  So  he  took  his  sister  by  the  hand,  and 
they  ran  together  to  find  it. 

Now,  the  stepmother  of  these  poor  children  was 
a  wicked  witch.  She  had  seen  the  children  go  away, 
and,  following  them  cautiously  like  a  snake,  had  be- 
witched all  the  springs  and  streams  in  the  forest. 
The  pleasant  trickling  of  a  brook  over  the  pebbles 
was  heard  by  the  children  as  they  reached  it,  and 
the  boy  was  just  stooping  to  drink,  when  the  sister 
heard  in  the  babbling  of  the  brook: 

"  Whoever  drinks  of  me,  a  tiger  soon  will  be." 

Then  she  cried  quickly,  "  Stay,  brother,  stay !  do 
not  drink,  or  you  will  become  a  wild  beast,  and  tear 
me  to  pieces." 

Thirsty  as  he  was,  the  brother  conquered  his 
desire  to  drink  at  her  words,  and  said,  "  Dear  sister, 
I  will  wait  till  we  come  to  a  spring."  So  they 
wandered  farther,  but  as  they  approached,  she  heard 
in  the  bubbling  spring  the  words — 

"  Who  drinks  of  me,  a  wolf  will  be." 

"  Brother,  I  pray  you,  do  not  drink  of  this  brook ; 
you  will  be  changed  into  a  wolf,  and  devour  me." 

Again  the  brother  denied  himself  and  promised  to 
wait ;  but  he  said,  "  At  the  next  stream  I  must  drink, 
say  what  you  will,  my  thirst  is  so  great." 

Not  far  off  ran  a  pretty  streamlet,  looking  clear 


28       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  bright;  but  here  also  in  its  murmuring  waters, 
the  sister  heard  the  words — 

"  Who  dares  to  drink  of  me, 
Turned  to  a  stag  will  be." 

"  Dear  brother,  do  not  drink,"  she  began ;  but 
she  was  too  late,  for  her  brother  had  already  knelt 
by  the  stream  to  drink,  and  as  the  first  drop  of  water 
touched  his  lips  he  became  a  fawn.  How  the  little 
sister  wept  over  the  enchanted  brother,  and  the 
fawn  wept  also. 

He  did  not  run  away,  but  stayed  close  to  her; 
and  at  last  she  said,  "  Stand  still,  dear  fawn ;  don't 
fear,  I  must  take  care  of  you,  but  I  will  never  leave 
you."  So  she  untied  her  little  golden  garter  and 
fastened  it  round  the  neck  of  the  fawn;  then  she 
gathered  some  soft  green  rushes,  and  braided  them 
into  a  soft  string,  which  she  fastened  to  the  fawn's 
golden  collar,  and  then  led  him  away  into  the  depths 
of  the  forest. 

After  wandering  about  for  some  time,  they  at 
last  found  a  little  deserted  hut,  and  the  sister  was 
overjoyed,  for  she  thought  it  would  form  a  nice 
shelter  for  them  both.  So  she  led  the  fawn  in,  and 
then  went  out  alone,  to  gather  moss  and  dried  leaves, 
to  make  him  a  soft  bed. 

Every  morning  she  went  out  to  gather  dried 
roots,  nuts,  and  berries,  for  her  own  food,  and 
sweet  fresh  grass  for  the  fawn,  which  he  ate  out  of 
her  hand,  and  the  poor  little  animal  went  out  with 
her,  and  played  about  as  happy  as  the  day  was  long. 

When  evening  came,  and  the  poor  sister  felt  tired, 


The  Enchanted  Stag  29 

she  would  kneel  down  and  say  her  prayers,  and  then 
lay  her  delicate  head  on  the  fawn's  back,  which  was 
a  soft  warm  pillow,  on  which  she  could  sleep  peace- 
fully. Had  this  dear  brother  only  kept  his  own 
proper  form,  how  happy  they  would  have  been  to- 
gether !  After  they  had  been  alone  in  the  forest  for 
some  time,  and  the  little  sister  had  grown  a  lovely 
maiden,  and  the  fawn  a  large  stag,  a  numerous  hunt- 
ing party  came  to  the  forest,  and  amongst  them  the 
king  of  the  country. 

The  sounding  horn,  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  the 
holloa  of  the  huntsmen,  resounded  through  the  for- 
est, and  were  heard  by  the  stag,  who  became  eager 
to  join  his  companions. 

"  Oh  dear,"  he  said,  "  do  let  me  go  and  see  the 
hunt;  I  cannot  restrain  myself."  And  he  begged 
so  hard  that  at  last  she  reluctantly  consented. 

"  But  remember,"  she  said,  "  I  must  lock  the  cot- 
tage door  against  those  huntsmen,  so  when  you 
come  back  in  the  evening,  and  knock,  I  shall  not 
admit  you,  unless  you  say,  ''  Dear  little  sister  let  me 
in." 

He  bounded  off  as  she  spoke,  scarcely  stopping  to 
listen,  for  it  was  so  delightful  for  him  to  breathe 
the  fresh  air  and  be  free  again. 

He  had  not  run  far  when  the  king's  chief  hunter 
caught  sight  of  the  beautiful  animal,  and  started  off 
in  chase  of  him ;  but  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  over- 
take such  rapid  footsteps.  Once,  when  he  thought 
he  had  him  safe,  the  fawn  sprang  over  the  bushes 
and  disappeared. 

As  it  was  now  nearly  dark,  he  ran  up  to  the  little 
cottage,  knocked  at  the  door,  and  cried,  '^  Dear  little 


30       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sister,  let  me  in."  The  door  was  instantly  opened, 
and  oh,  how  glad  his  sister  was  to  see  him  safely 
resting  on  his  soft  pleasant  bed! 

A  few  days  after  this,  the  huntsmen  were  again 
in  the  forest;  and  when  the  fawn  heard  the  holloa, 
he  could  not  rest  in  peace,  but  begged  his  sister 
again  to  let  him  go. 

She  opened  the  door,  and  said,  "  I  will  let  you  go 
this  time ;  but  pray  do  not  forget  to  say  what  I  told 
you,  when  you  return  this  evening." 

The  chief  hunter  very  soon  espied  the  beautiful 
fawn  with  the  golden  collar,  pointed  it  out  to  the 
king,  and  they  determined  to  hunt  it. 

They  chased  him  with  all  their  skill  till  the  even- 
ing; but  he  was  too  light  and  nimble  for  them  to 
catch,  till  a  shot  wounded  him  slightly  in  the  foot, 
so  that  he  was  obliged  to  hide  himself  in  the  bushes, 
and,  after  the  huntsmen  were  gone,  limp  slowly 
home. 

One  of  them,  however,  determined  to  follow  him 
at  a  distance,  and  discover  where  he  went.  What 
was  his  surprise  at  seeing  him  go  up  to  a  door  and 
knock,  and  to  hear  him  say,  "  Dear  little  sister,  let 
me  in."  The  door  was  only  opened  a  little  way, 
and  quickly  shut ;  but  the  huntsman  had  seen  enough 
to  make  him  full  of  wonder,  when  he  returned  and 
described  to  the  king  what  he  had  seen. 

"  We  will  have  one  more  chase  to-morrow,"  said 
the  king,  "  and  discover  this  mystery." 

In  the  meantime  the  loving  sister  was  terribly 
alarmed  at  finding  the  stag's  foot  wounded  and 
bleeding.  She  quickly  washed  off  the  blood,  and, 
after  bathing  the  wound,  placed  healing  herbs  on  it, 


The  Enchanted  Stag  31 

and  said,  "  Lie  down  on  your  bed,  dear  fawn,  and 
the  wound  will  soon  heal,  if  you  rest  your  foot." 

In  the  morning  the  wound  was  so  much  better 
that  the  fawn  felt  the  foot  almost  as  strong  as  ever, 
and  so,  when  he  again  heard  the  holloa  of  the 
hunters,  he  could  not  rest.  "  Oh,  dear  sister,  I  must 
go  once  more;  it  will  be  easy  for  me  to  avoid  the 
hunters  now,  and  my  foot  feels  quite  well;  they 
will  not  hunt  me  unless  they  see  me  running,  and  I 
don't  mean  to  do  that." 

But  his  sister  wept,  and  begged  him  not  to  go: 
"  If  they  kill  you,  dear  fawn,  I  shall  be  here  alone 
in  the  forest,  forsaken  by  the  whole  world." 

"  And  I  shall  die  of  grief,"  he  said,  "  if  I  remain 
here  listening  to  the  hunter's  horn." 

So  at  length  his  sister,  with  a  heavy  heart,  set 
him  free,  and  he  bounded  away  joyfully  into  the 
forest. 

As  soon  as  the  king  caught  sight  of  him,  he  said 
to  the  huntsmen,  "  Follow  that  stag  about,  but  don't 
hurt  him."  So  they  hunted  him  all  day,  but  at  the 
approach  of  sunset  the  king  said  to  the  hunter  who 
had  followed  the  fawn  the  day  before,  **  Come  and 
show  me  the  little  cottage." 

So  they  went  together,  and  when  the  king  saw 
it  he  sent  his  companion  home,  and  went  on  alone 
so  quickly  that  he  arrived  there  before  the  fawn ; 
and,  going  up  to  the  little  door,  knocked  and  said 
softly,  "  Dear  little  sister,  let  me  in." 

As  the  door  opened,  the  king  stepped  in,  and  in 
great  astonishment  saw  a  maiden  more  beautiful 
than  he  had  ever  seen  in  his  life  standing  before 
him.    But  how  frightened  she  felt  to  see  instead  of 


32       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

her  dear  little  fawn  a  noble  gentleman  walk  in  with 
a  gold  crown  on  his  head. 

However,  he  appeared  very  friendly,  and  after  a 
little  talk  he  held  out  his  hand  to  her,  and  said, 
"  Wilt  thou  go  with  me  to  my  castle  and  be  my  dear 
wife?  " 

"  Ah  yes,"  replied  the  maiden,  "  I  would  will- 
ingly ;  but  I  cannot  leave  my  dear  fawn :  he  must 
go  with  me  wherever  I  am." 

"  He  shall  remain  with  you  as  long  as  you  live," 
replied  the  king,  **  and  I  will  never  ask  you  to  for- 
sake him." 

While  they  were  talking,  the  fawn  came  bound- 
ing in,  looking  quite  well  and  happy.  Then  his 
sister  fastened  the  string  of  rushes  to  his  collar, 
took  it  in  her  hand,  and  led  him  away  from  the  cot- 
tage in  the  wood  to  where  the  king's  beautiful  horse 
waited  for  him. 

The  king  placed  the  maiden  before  him  on  his 
horse  and  rode  away  to  his  castle,  the  fawn  follow- 
ing by  their  side.  Soon  after,  their  marriage  was 
celebrated  with  great  splendour,  and  the  fawn  was 
taken  the  greatest  care  of,  and  played  where  he 
pleased,  or  roamed  about  the  castle  grounds  in  hap- 
piness and  safety. 

In  the  meantime  the  wicked  stepmother,  who  had 
caused  these  two  young  people  such  misery,  sup- 
posed that  the  sister  had  been  devoured  by  wild 
beasts,  and  that  the  fawn  had  been  hunted  to  death. 
Therefore  when  she  heard  of  their  happiness,  such 
envy  and  malice  arose  in  her  heart  that  she  could 
find  no  rest  till  she  had  tried  to  destroy  it. 

She  and  her  ugly  daughter  came  to  the  castle 


The  Enchanted  Stag  33 

when  the  queen  had  a  little  baby,  and  one  of  them 
pretended  to  be  a  nurse,  and  at  last  got  the  mother 
and  child  into  their  power. 

They  shut  the  queen  up  in  the  bath,  and  tried  to 
suffocate  her,  and  the  old  woman  put  her  own  ugly 
daughter  in  the  queen's  bed  that  the  king  might  not 
know  she  was  away. 

She  would  not,  however,  let  him  speak  to  her, 
but  pretended  that  she  must  be  kept  quite  quiet. 

The  queen  escaped  from  the  bath-room,  where 
the  wicked  old  woman  had  locked  her  up,  but  she 
did  not  go  far,  as  she  wanted  to  watch  over  her 
child  and  the  little  fawn. 

For  two  nights  the  baby's  nurse  saw  a  figure  of 
the  queen  come  into  the  room  and  take  up  her  baby 
and  nurse  it.  Then  she  told  the  king,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  watch  himself.  The  old  stepmother,  who 
acted  as  nurse  to  her  ugly  daughter,  whom  she  tried 
to  make  the  king  believe  was  his  wife,  had  said  that 
the  queen  was  too  weak  to  see  him,  and  never  left 
her  room.  ''  There  cannot  be  two  queens,"  said  the 
king  to  himself,  "  so  to-night  I  will  watch  in  the 
nursery."  As  soon  as  the  figure  came  in  and  took 
up  her  baby,  he  saw  it  was  his  real  wife,  and  caught 
her  in  his  arms,  saying,  "  You  are  my  own  beloved 
wife,  as  beautiful  as  ever." 

The  wicked  witch  had  thrown  her  into  a  trance, 
hoping  she  would  die,  and  that  the  king  would  then 
marry  her  daughter;  but  on  the  king  speaking  to 
her,  the  spell  was  broken.  The  queen  told  the  king 
how  cruelly  she  had  been  treated  by  her  stepmother, 
and  on  hearing  this  he  became  very  angry,  and  had 
the  witch  and  her  daughter  brought  to  justice. 
3 


34       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

They  were  both  sentenced  to  die — the  daughter  to 
be  devoured  by  wild  beasts,  and  the  mother  to  be 
burnt  aUve. 

No  sooner,  however,  was  she  reduced  to  ashes 
than  the  charm  which  held  the  queen's  brother  in 
the  form  of  a  stag  was  broken;  he  recovered  his 
own  natural  shape,  and  appeared  before  them  a  tall, 
handsome  young  man. 

After  this,  the  brother  and  sister  lived  happily 
and  peacefully  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 


CHAPTER   IV 

HANSEL  AND  GRETHEL 

Near  the  borders  of  a  large  forest  dwelt  in  olden 
times  a  poor  wood-cutter,  who  had  two  children — a 
boy  named  Hansel,  and  his  sister,  Grethel.  They 
had  very  little  to  live  upon,  and  once  when  there 
was  a  dreadful  season  of  scarcity  in  the  land,  the 
poor  woodcutter  could  not  earn  sufficient  to  supply 
their  daily  food. 

One  evening,  after  the  children  were  gone  to  bed, 
the  parents  sat  talking  together  over  their  sorrow, 
and  the  poor  husband  sighed,  and  said  to  his  wife, 
who  was  not  the  mother  of  his  children,  but  their 
stepmother,  ''  What  will  become  of  us,  for  I  can- 
not earn  enough  to  support  myself  and  you,  much 
less  the  children?  what  shall  we  do  with  them,  for 
they  must  not  starve  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  to  do,  husband,"  she  replied ; 
"  early  to-morrow  morning  we  will  take  the  chil- 
dren for  a  walk  across  the  forest  and  leave  them 
in  the  thickest  part;  they  will  never  find  the  way 
home  again,  you  may  depend,  and  then  we  shall 
only  have  to  work  for  ourselves." 

*'  No,  wife,"  said  the  man,  "  that  I  will  never  do. 
How  could  I  have  the  heart  to  leave  my  children  all 
alone  in  the  wood,  where  the  wild  beasts  would 
come  quickly  and  devour  them  ?  " 


36       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  Oh,  you  fool,"  replied  the  stepmother,  **  if  you 
refuse  to  do  this,  you  know  we  must  all  four  perish 
with  hunger ;  you  may  as  well  go  and  cut  the  wood 
for  our  coffins."  And  after  this  she  let  him  harv^e 
no  peace  till  he  became  quite  worn  out,  and  could 
not  sleep  for  hours,  but  lay  thinking  in  sorrow  about 
his  children. 

The  two  children,  who  also  were  too  hungry  to 
sleep,  heard  all  that  their  stepmother  had  said  to 
their  father.  Poor  little  Grethel  wept  bitter  tears 
as  she  listened,  and  said  to  her  brother,  **  What  is 
going  to  happen  to  us.  Hansel  ?  " 

*'  Hush,  Grethel,"  he  whispered ;  "  don't  be  so 
unhappy;  I  know  what  to  do." 

Then  they  lay  quite  still  till  their  parents  were 
asleep. 

As  soon  as  it  was  quiet.  Hansel  got  up,  put  on  his 
little  coat,  unfastened  the  door,  and  slipped  out. 
The  moon  shone  brightly,  and  the  white  pebble 
stones  which  lay  before  the  cottage  door  glistened 
like  new  silver  money.  Hansel  stooped  and  picked 
up  as  many  of  the  pebbles  as  he  could  stuff  in  his 
little  coat  pockets.  He  then  went  back  to  Grethel 
and  said,  "  Be  comforted,  dear  little  sister,  and  sleep 
in  peace;  heaven  will  take  care  of  us."  Then  he 
laid  himself  down  again  in  bed,  and  slept  till  the 
day  broke. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  was  risen,  the  stepmother 
came  and  woke  the  two  children,  and  said,  "  Get  up, 
you  lazy  bones,  and  come  into  the  wood  with  me  to 
gather  wood  for  the  fire."  Then  she  gave  each  of 
them  a  piece  of  bread,  and  said,  "  You  must  keep 


Hansel  and  Grethel  37 

that  to  eat  for  your  dinner,  and  don't  quarrel  over 
it,  for  you  will  get  nothing  more." 

Grethel  took  the  bread  under  her  charge,  for 
Hansel's  pockets  were  full  of  pebbles.  Then  the 
stepmother  led  them  a  long  way  into  the  forest. 
They  had  gone  but  a  very  short  distance  when  Han- 
sel looked  back  at  the  house,  and  this  he  did  again 
and  again. 

At  last  his  stepmother  said,  "  Why  do  you  keep 
staying  behind  and  looking  back  so  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mother,"  said  the  boy,  "  I  can  see  my  little 
white  cat  sitting  on  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  I  am 
sure  she  is  crying  for  me." 

"  Nonsense,"  she  replied ;  "  that  is  not  your  cat ; 
it  is  the  morning  sun  shining  on  the  chimney-pot." 

Hansel  had  seen  no  cat,  but  he  stayed  behind 
every  time  to  drop  a  white  pebble  from  his  pocket 
on  the  ground  as  they  walked. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  a  thick  part  of  the  wood, 
their  stepmother  said : 

"  Come,  children,  gather  some  wood,  and  I  will 
make  a  fire,  for  it  is  very  cold  here." 

Then  Hansel  and  Grethel  raised  quite  a  high  heap 
of  brushwood  and  faggots,  which  soon  blazed  up 
into  a  bright  fire,  and  the  woman  said  to  them : 

"  Sit  down  here,  children,  and  rest,  while  I  go 
and  find  your  father,  who  is  cutting  wood  in  the 
forest;  when  we  have  finished  our  work,  we  will 
come  again  and  fetch  you." 

Hansel  and  Grethel  seated  themselves  by  the  fire, 
and  when  noon  arrived  they  each  ate  the  piece  of 
bread  which  their  stepmother  had  given  them  for 
their  dinner ;  and  as  long  as  they  heard  the  strokes 


^S       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

of  the  axe  they  felt  safe,  for  they  believed  that  their 
father  was  working  near  them.  But  it  was  not  an 
axe  they  heard — only  a  branch  which  still  hung  on 
a  withered  tree,  and  was  moved  up  and  down  by  the 
wind.  At  last,  when  they  had  been  sitting  there  a 
long  time,  the  children's  eyes  became  heavy  with 
fatigue,  and  they  fell  fast  asleep.  When  they  awoke 
it  was  dark  night,  and  poor  Grethel  began  to  cry, 
and  said,  *'  Oh,  how  shall  we  get  out  of  the  wood?  " 

But  Hansel  comforted  her.  ''  Don't  fear,"  he 
said ;  *'  let  us  wait  a  little  while  till  the  moon  rises, 
and  then  we  shall  easily  find  our  way  home." 

Very  soon  the  full  moon  rose,  and  then  Hansel 
took  his  little  sister  by  the  hand,  and  the  white 
pebble  stones,  which  glittered  like  newly-coined 
money  in  the  moonlight,  and  which  Hansel  had 
dropped  as  he  walked,  pointed  out  the  way.  They 
walked  all  the  night  through,  and  did  not  reach 
their  father's  house  till  break  of  day. 

They  knocked  at  the  door,  and  when  their  step- 
mother opened  it,  she  exclaimed :  ''  You  naughty 
children,  why  have  you  been  staying  so  long  in  the 
forest?  we  thought  you  were  never  coming  back." 
But  their  father  was  overjoyed  to  see  them,  for  it 
grieved  him  to  the  heart  to  think  that  they  had  been 
left  alone  in  the  wood. 

Not  long  after  this  there  came  another  time  of 
scarcity  and  want  in  every  house,  and  the  children 
heard  their  stepmother  talking  after  they  were  in 
bed.  "The  times  are  as  bad  as  ever,"  she  said; 
"  we  have  just  half  a  loaf  left,  and  when  that  is 
gone  all  love  will  be  at  an  end.  The  children  must 
go  away;  we  will  take  them  deeper  into  the  forest 


Hansel  and  Grethel  39 

this  time,  and  they  will  not  be  able  to  find  their  way 
home  as  they  did  before ;  it  is  the  only  plan  to  save 
ourselves  from  starvation.  But  the  husband  felt 
heavy  at  heart,  for  he  thought  it  was  better  to  share 
the  last  morsel  with  his  children. 

His  wife  would  listen  to  nothing  he  said,  but  con- 
tinued to  reproach  him,  and  as  he  had  given  way  to 
her  the  first  time,  he  could  not  refuse  to  do  so  now. 
The  children  were  awake,  and  heard  all  the  con- 
versation ;  so,  as  soon  as  their  parents  slept.  Han- 
sel got  up,  intending  to  go  out  and  gather  some 
more  of  the  bright  pebbles  to  let  fall  as  he  walked, 
that  they  might  point  out  the  way  home;  but  his 
stepmother  had  locked  the  door,  and  he  could  not 
open  it.  When  he  went  back  to  his  bed  he  told  his 
little  sister  not  to  fret,  but  to  go  to  sleep  in  peace, 
for  he  was  sure  they  would  be  taken  care  of. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  stepmother  came  and 
pulled  the  children  out  of  bed,  and,  when  they  were 
dressed,  gave  them  each  a  piece  of  bread  for  their 
dinners,  smaller  than  they  had  had  before,  and  then 
they  started  on  their  way  to  the  wood. 

As  they  walked,  Hansel,  who  had  the  bread  in 
his  pocket,  broke  oflf  little  crumbs,  and  stopped  every 
now  and  then  to  drop  one,  turning  round  as  if  he 
was  looking  back  at  his  home. 

''  Hansel/'  said  the  woman,  "  what  are  you  stop- 
ping for  in  that  way?    Come  along  directly." 

"  I  saw  my  pigeon  sitting  on  the  roof,  and  he 
wants  to  say  good-bye  to  me,"  replied  the  boy. 

"  Nonsense,"  she  said ;  "  that  is  not  your  pigeon ; 
it  is  only  the  morning  sun  shining  on  the  chimney- 
top." 


40       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

But  Hansel  did  not  look  back  any  more ;  he  only 
dropped  pieces  of  bread  behind  him,  as  they  walked 
through  the  wood.  This  time  they  went  on  till  they 
reached  the  thickest  and  densest  part  of  the  forest, 
where  they  had  never  been  before  in  all  their  lives. 
Again  they  gathered  faggots  and  brushwood,  of 
which  the  stepmother  made  up  a  large  fire.  Then 
she  said,  ''  Remain  here,  children,  and  rest,  while  I 
go  to  help  your  father,  who  is  cutting  wood  in  the 
forest;  when  you  feel  tired,  you  can  lie  down  and 
sleep  for  a  little  while,  and  we  will  come  and  fetch 
you  in  the  evening,  when  your  father  has  finished 
his  work." 

So  the  children  remained  alone  till  mid-day,  and 
then  Grethel  shared  her  piece  of  bread  with  Hansel, 
for  he  had  scattered  his  own  all  along  the  road  as 
they  walked.  After  this  they  slept  for  awhile,  and 
the  evening  drew  on;  but  no  one  came  to  fetch  the 
poor  children.  When  they  awoke  it  was  quite  dark, 
and  poor  little  Grethel  was  afraid ;  but  Hansel  com- 
forted her,  as  he  had  done  before,  by  telling  her  they 
need  only  wait  till  the  moon  rose.  "  You  know,  little 
sister,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have  thrown  breadcrumbs 
all  along  the  road  we  came,  and  they  will  easily  point 
out  the  way  home." 

But  when  they  went  out  of  the  thicket  into  the 
moonlight  they  found  no  breadcrumbs,  for  the  nu- 
merous birds  which  inhabited  the  trees  of  the  forest 
had  picked  them  all  up. 

Hansel  tried  to  hide  his  fear  when  he  made  this 
sad  discovery,  and  said  to  his  sister,  "  Cheer  up, 
Grethel ;  I  dare  say  we  shall  find  our  way  home  with- 
out the  crumbs.    Let  us  try."    But  this  they  found 


Hansel  and  Grethel  41 

impossible.  They  wandered  about  the  whole  night, 
and  the  next  day  from  morning  till  evening ;  but  they 
could  not  get  out  of  the  wood,  and  were  so  hungry 
that  had  it  not  been  for  a  few  berries  which  they 
picked  they  must  have  starved. 

At  last  they  were  so  tired  that  their  poor  little 
legs  could  carry  them  no  farther ;  so  they  laid  them- 
selves down  under  a  tree  and  went  to  sleep.  When 
they  ?,woke  it  was  the  third  morning  since  they  had 
left  their  father's  house,  and  they  determined  to  try 
once  more  to  find  their  way  home ;  but  it  was  no  use, 
they  only  went  still  deeper  into  the  wood,  and  knew 
that  if  no  help  came  they  must  starve. 

About  noon,  they  saw  a  beautiful  snow-white  bird 
sitting  on  the  branch  of  a  tree,  and  singing  so  beauti- 
fully that  they  stood  still  to  listen.  When  he  had 
finished  his  song,  he  spread  out  his  wings  and  flew 
on  before  them.  The  children  followed  him,  till 
at  last  they  saw  at  a  distance  a  small  house;  and 
the  bird  flew  and  perched  on  the  roof. 

But  how  surprised  were  the  boy  and  girl,  when 
they  came  nearer,  to  find  that  the  house  was  built  of 
gingerbread,  and  ornamented  with  sweet  cakes  and 
tarts,  while  the  window  was  formed  of  barley-sugar. 
''Oh!"  exclaimed  Hansel,  "let  us  stop  here  and 
have  a  splendid  feast.  I  will  have  a  piece  from  the 
roof  first,  Grethel;  and  you  can  eat  some  of  the 
barley-sugar  window,  it  tastes  so  nice."  Hansel 
reached  up  on  tiptoe,  and  breaking  off  a  piece  of  the 
gingerbread,  he  began  to  eat  with  all  his  might,  for 
he  was  very  hungry.  Grethel  seated  herself  on  the 
doorstep,  and  began  munching  away  at  the  cakes 


42       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

of  which  it  was  made.  Presently  a  voice  came  out 
of  the  cottage : 

"  Munchi*ng,  crunching,  munching, 
Who's  eating  up  my  house  ?  " 

Then  answered  the  children: 

"  The   wind,   the   wind. 
Only  the  wind," 

and  went  on  eating  as  if  they  never  meant  to  leave 
off,  without  a  suspicion  of  wrong.  Hansel,  who 
found  the  cake  on  the  roof  taste  very  good,  broke 
off  another  large  piece,  and  Grethel  had  just  taken 
out  a  whole  pane  of  barley-sugar  from  the  window, 
and  seated  herself  to  eat  it,  when  the  door  opened, 
and  a  strange-looking  old  woman  came  out  leaning 
on  a  stick. 

Hansel  and  Grethel  were  so  frightened  that  they 
let  fall  what  they  held  in  their  hands.  The  old 
woman  shook  her  head  at  them,  and  said,  "  Ah,  you 
dear  children,  who  has  brought  you  here?  Come 
in,  and  stay  with  me  for  a  little  while,  and  there 
shall  no  harm  happen  to  you."  She  seized  them  both 
by  the  hands  as  she  spoke,  and  led  them  into  the 
house.  She  gave  them  for  supper  plenty  to  eat  and 
drink — milk  and  pancakes  and  sugar,  apples  and 
nuts;  and  when  evening  came.  Hansel  and  Grethel 
v/ere  shown  two  beautiful  little  beds  with  white  cur- 
tains, and  they  lay  down  in  them  and  thought  they 
were  in  heaven. 

But  although   the  old  woman  pretended   to   be 


Hansel  and  Grethel  43 

friendly,  she  was  a  wicked  witch,  who  had  her  house 
built  of  gingerbread  on  purpose  to  entrap  children. 
When  once  they  were  in  her  power,  she  would  feed 
them  well  till  they  got  fat,  and  then  kill  them  and 
cook  them  for  her  dinner;  and  this  she  called  her 
feast-day.  Fortunately  the  witch  had  weak  eyes, 
and  could  not  see  very  well ;  but  she  had  a  very  keen 
scent,  as  wild  animals  have,  and  could  easily  discover 
when  human  beings  were  near.  As  Hansel  and 
Grethel  had  approached  her  cottage,  she  laughed  to 
herself  maliciously,  and  said,  with  a  sneer :  "  I  have 
them  now ;  they  shall  not  escape  from  me  again !  " 

Early  in  the  morning,  before  the  children  were 
awake,  she  was  up,  standing  by  their  beds ;  and  when 
she  saw  how  beautiful  they  looked  in  their  sleep, 
with  their  round  rosy  cheeks,  she  muttered  to  her- 
self, "  What  nice  tit-bits  they  will  be !  "  Then  she 
laid  hold  of  Hansel  with  her  rough  hand,  dragged 
him  out  of  bed,  and  led  him  to  a  little  cage  which 
had  a  lattice-door,  and  shut  him  in ;  he  might  scream 
as  much  as  he  would,  but  it  was  all  useless. 

After  this  she  went  back  to  Grethel,  and,  shaking 
her  roughly  till  she  woke,  cried :  "  Get  up,  you  lazy 
hussy,  and  draw  some  water,  that  I  may  boil  some- 
thing good  for  your  brother,  who  is  shut  up  in  a 
cage  outside  till  he  gets  fat;  and  then  I  shall  cook 
him  and  eat  him !  "  When  Grethel  heard  this  she 
began  to  cry  bitterly ;  but  it  was  all  useless,  she  was 
obliged  to  do  as  the  wicked  witch  told  her. 

For  poor  Hansel's  breakfast  the  best  of  everything 
was  cooked ;  but  Grethel  had  nothing  for  herself  but 
a  crab's  claw.  Every  morning  the  old  woman  would 
go  out  to  the  little  cage,  and  say :  "  Hansel,  stick  out 


44       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

your  finger,  that  I  may  feel  if  you  are  fat  enough 
for  eating."  But  Hansel,  who  knew  how  dim  her 
old  eyes  were,  always  stuck  a  bone  through  the  bars 
of  his  cage,  which  she  thought  was  his  finger,  for 
she  could  not  see ;  and  when  she  felt  how  thin  it  was, 
she  wondered  very  much  why  he  did  not  get  fat. 

However,  as  the  weeks  went  on,  and  Hansel 
seemed  not  to  get  any  fatter,  she  became  impatient, 
and  said  she  could  not  wait  any  longer.  "  Go, 
Grethel,"  she  cried  to  the  maiden,  ''  be  quick  and 
draw  water ;  Hansel  may  be  fat  or  lean,  I  don't  care, 
to-morrow  morning  I  mean  to  kill  him,  and  cook 
him !  " 

Oh!  how  the  poor  little  sister  grieved  when  she 
was  forced  to  draw  the  water;  and,  as  the  tears 
rolled  down  her  cheeks,  she  exclaimed :  "  It  would 
have  been  better  to  be  eaten  by  wild  beasts,  or  to 
have  been  starved  to  death  in  the  woods;  then  we 
should  have  died  together !  " 

"  Stop  your  crying !  "  cried  the  old  woman ;  "  it  is 
not  of  the  least  use,  no  one  will  come  to  help  you." 

Early  in  the  morning  Grethel  was  obliged  to  go 
out  and  fill  the  great  pot  with  water,  and  hang  it 
over  the  fire  to  boil.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the 
old  woman  said,  ''  We  will  bake  some  bread  first ;  I 
have  made  the  oven  hot,  and  the  dough  is  already 
kneaded."  Then  she  dragged  poor  little  Grethel  up 
to  the  oven  door,  under  which  the  flames  were  burn- 
ing fiercely,  and  said :  ''  Creep  in  there,  and  see  if 
it  is  hot  enough  yet  to  bake  the  bread."  But  if 
Grethel  had  obeyed  her,  she  would  have  shut  the 
poor  child  in  and  baked  her  for  dinner,  instead  of 
boiling  Hansel. 


Hansel  and  Grethel  45 

Grethel,  however,  guessed  what  she  wanted  to  do, 
and  said,  ''  I  don't  know  how  to  get  in  through  that 
narrow  door." 

"  Stupid  goose,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  why,  the 
oven  door  is  quite  large  enough  for  me;  just  look, 
I  could  get  in  myself."  As  she  spoke  she  stepped 
forward  and  pretended  to  put  her  head  in  the  oven. 

A  sudden  thought  gave  Grethel  unusual  strength ; 
she  started  forward,  gave  the  old  woman  a  push 
which  sent  her  right  into  the  oven,  then  she  shut  the 
iron  door  and  fastened  the  bolt. 

Oh !  how  the  old  witch  did  howl,  it  was  quite  hor- 
rible to  hear  her.  But  Grethel  ran  away,  and  there- 
fore she  was  left  to  burn,  just  as  she  had  left  many 
poor  little  children  to  burn.  And  how  quickly 
Grethel  ran  to  Hansel,  opened  the  door  of  his  cage, 
and  cried,  "  Hansel,  Hansel,  we  are  free ;  the  old 
witch  is  dead."  He  flew  like  a  bird  out  of  his  cage 
at  these  words  as  soon  as  the  door  was  opened,  and 
the  children  were  so  overjoyed  that  they  ran  into 
each  other's  arms,  and  kissed  each  other  with  the 
greatest  love. 

And  now  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  afraid  of, 
they  went  back  into  the  house,  and  while  looking 
round  the  old  witch's  room,  they  saw  an  old  oak 
chest,  which  they  opened,  and  found  it  full  of  pearls 
and  precious  stones.  '*  These  are  better  than  peb- 
bles," said  Hansel ;  and  he  filled  his  pockets  as  full 
as  they  would  hold. 

"  I  will  carry  some  home  too,"  said  Grethel,  and 
she  held  out  her  apron,  which  held  quite  as  much  as 
Hansel's  pockets. 


46       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  We  will  go  now,"  he  said,  "  and  get  away  as 
soon  as  we  can  from  this  enchanted  forest." 

They  had  been  walking  for  nearly  two  hours  when 
they  came  to  a  large  sheet  of  water. 

''  What  shall  we  do  now  ?  "  said  the  boy.  **  We 
cannot  get  across,  and  there  is  no  bridge  of  any 
sort." 

"  Oh !  here  comes  a  boat,"  cried  Grethel,  but  she 
was  mistaken ;  it  was  only  a  white  duck  which  came 
swimming  towards  the  children.  "  Perhaps  she  will 
help  us  across  if  we  ask  her,"  said  the  child ;  and 
she  sung,  ''  Little  duck,  do  help  poor  Hansel  and 
Grethel ;  there  is  not  a  bridge,  nor  a  boat — will  you 
let  us  sail  across  on  your  white  back?  " 

The  good-natured  duck  came  near  the  bank  as 
Grethel  spoke,  so  close  indeed  that  Hansel  could  seat 
himself  and  wanted  to  take  his  little  sister  on  his 
lap,  but  she  said,  "  No,  we  shall  be  too  heavy  for  the 
kind  duck ;  let  her  take  us  over  one  at  a  time." 

The  good  creature  did  as  the  children  wished; 
she  carried  Grethel  over  first,  and  then  came  back 
for  Hansel.  And  then  how  happy  the  children  were 
to  find  themselves  in  a  part  of  the  wood  which  they 
remembered  quite  well,  and  as  they  walked  on,  the 
more  familiar  it  became,  till  at  last  they  caught  sight 
of  their  father's  house.  Then  they  began  to  run, 
and,  bursting  into  the  room,  threw  themselves  into 
their  father's  arms. 

Poor  man,  he  had  not  had  a  moment's  peace  since 
the  children  had  been  left  alone  in  the  forest;  he 
was  full  of  joy  at  finding  them  safe  and  well  again, 
and  now  they  had  nothing  to  fear,  for  their  wicked 
stepmother  was  dead. 


Hansel  and  Grcthel  47 

But  how  surprised  the  poor  wood-cutter  was  when 
Grethel  opened  and  shook  her  Httle  apron  to  see  the 
gHttering  pearls  and  precious  stones  scattered  about 
the  room,  while  Hansel  drew  handful  after  handful 
from  his  pockets.  From  this  moment  all  his  care 
and  sorrow  wa^  at  an  end,  and  the  father  lived  in 
happiness  with  his  children  till  his  death. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE  STORY  OF  ALADDIN;  OR,  THE  WONDERFUL  LAMP 

In  one  of  the  large  and  rich  cities  of  China,  there 
once  lived  a  tailor  named  Mustapha.  He  was  very 
poor.  He  could  hardly,  by  his  daily  labour,  main- 
tain himself  and  his  fam.ily,  which  consisted  only  of 
his  wife  and  a  son. 

His  son,  who  was  called  Aladdin,  was  a  very  care- 
less and  idle  fellow.  He  was  disobedient  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  would  go  out  early  in  the 
morning  and  stay  out  all  day,  playing  in  the  streets 
and  public  places  with  idle  children  of  his  own  age. 

When  he  was  old  enough  to  learn  a  trade,  his 
father  took  him  into  his  own  shop,  and  taught  him 
how  to  use  his  needle ;  but  all  his  father's  endeavours 
to  keep  him  to  his  work  were  vain,  for  no  sooner  was 
his  back  turned,  than  he  was  gone  for  that  day. 
Mustapha  chastised  him,  but  Aladdin  was  incor- 
rigible, and  his  father,  to  his  great  grief,  was  forced 
to  abandon  him  to  his  idleness ;  and  was  so  much 
troubled  about  him,  that  he  fell  sick  and  died  in  a 
few  months. 

Aladdin,  who  was  now  no  longer  restrained  by  the 
fear  of  a  father,  gave  himself  entirely  over  to  his 
idle  habits,  and  was  never  out  of  the  streets  from 
his  companions.    This  course  he  followed  till  he  was 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     49 

fifteen  years  old,  without  giving  his  mind  to  any 
useful  pursuit,  or  the  least  reflection  on  what  would 
become  of  him.  As  he  was  one  day  playing,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  in  the  street,  with  his  evil  associates, 
a  stranger  passing  by  stood  to  observe  him. 

This  stranger  was  a  sorcerer,  known  as  the 
African  magician,  as  he  had  been  but  two  days 
arrived  from  Africa,  his  native  country. 

The  African  magician,  observing  in  Aladdin's 
countenance  something  which  assured  him  that  he 
was  a  fit  boy  for  his  purpose,  inquired  his  name  and 
history  of  some  of  his  companions,  and  when  he  had 
learnt  all  he  desired  to  know,  went  up  to  him,  and 
taking  him  aside  from  his  comrades,  said,  "  Child, 
was  not  your  father  called  Mustapha  the  tailor?" 
"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  boy,  "  but  he  has  been  dead 
a  long  time." 

At  these  words  the  African  magician  threw  his 
arms  about  Aladdin's  neck,  and  kissed  him  several 
times,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  said,  "  I  am  your 
uncle.  Your  worthy  father  was  my  own  brother. 
I  knew  you  at  first  sight,  you  are  so  like  him."  Then 
he  gave  Aladdin  a  handful  of  small  money,  saying, 
"  Go,  my  son,  to  your  mother,  give  my  love  to  her, 
and  tell  her  that  I  will  visit  her  to-morrow,  that  I 
may  see  where  my  good  brother  lived  so  long,  and 
ended  his  days." 

Aladdin  ran  to  his  mother,  overjoyed  at  the  money 
his  uncle  had  given  him.  "  Mother,"  said  he,  "  have 
I  an  uncle  ?  "  "  No,  child,"  replied  his  mother,  "  you 
have  no  uncle  by  your  father's  side  or  mine."  "  I 
am  just  now  come,"  said  Aladdin,  "  from  a  man  who 
says  he  is  my  uncle  and  my  father's  brother.     He 


50       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

cried  and  kissed  me  when  I  told  him  my  father  was 
dead,  and  gave  me  money,  sending  his  love  to  you, 
and  promising  to  come  and  pay  you  a  visit,  that  he 
may  see  the  house  my  father  lived  and  died  in." 
**  Indeed,  child,"  replied  the  mother,  *'  your  father 
had  no  brother,  nor  have  you  an  uncle." 

The  next  day  the  magician  found  Aladdin  playing 
in  another  part  of  the  town,  and  embracing  him  as 
before,  put  two  pieces  of  gold  into  his  hand,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Carry  this,  child,  to  your  mother ;  tell 
her  that  I  will  come  and  see  her  to-night,  and  bid 
her  get  us  something  for  supper ;  but  first  show  me 
the  house  where  you  live." 

Aladdin  showed  the  African  magician  the  house, 
and  carried  the  two  pieces  of  gold  to  his  mother, 
who  went  out  and  bought  provisions ;  and  consider- 
ing she  wanted  various  utensils,  borrowed  them  of 
her  neighbours.  She  spent  the  whole  day  in  prepar- 
ing the  supper ;  and  at  night,  when  it  was  ready,  said 
to  her  son,  "  Perhaps  the  stranger  knows  not  how 
to  find  our  house;  go  and  bring  him,  if  you  meet 
with  him." 

Aladdin  was  just  ready  to  go,  when  the  magician 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  came  in  loaded  with  wine 
and  all  sorts  of  fruits,  which  he  brought  for  a  des- 
sert. After  he  had  given  what  he  brought  into 
Aladdin's  hands,  he  saluted  his  mother,  and  desired 
her  to  show  him  the  place  where  his  brother  Mus- 
tapha  used  to  sit  on  the  sofa ;  and  when  she  had  so 
done,  he  fell  down  and  kissed  it  several  times,  cry- 
ing out,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  *'  My  poor  brother ! 
how  unhappy  am  I,  not  to  have  come  soon  enough 
to  give  you  one  last  embrace."     Aladdin's  mother 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     51 

desired  him  to  sit  down  in  the  same  place,  but  he 
decHned.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  not  do  that ;  but 
give  me  leave  to  sit  opposite  to  it,  that  although  I 
see  not  the  master  of  a  family  so  dear  to  me,  I  may 
at  least  behold  the  place  where  he  used  to  sit." 

When  the  magician  had  made  choice  of  a  place,, 
and  sat  down,  he  began  to  enter  into  discourse  with 
Aladdin's  mother.  ''  My  good  sister,"  said  he,  ''  do 
not  be  surprised  at  your  never  having  seen  me  all 
the  time  you  have  been  married  to  my  brother  Mus- 
tapha  of  happy  memory.  I  have  been  forty  years 
absent  from  this  country,  which  is  my  native  place,, 
as  well  as  my  late  brother's;  and  during  that  time 
have  travelled  into  the  Indies,  Persia,  Arabia,  Syria,, 
and  Egypt,  and  afterward  crossed  over  into  Africa,, 
where  I  took  up  my  abode.  At  last,  as  it  is  natural! 
for  a  man,  I  was  desirous  to  see  my  native  country 
again,  and  to  embrace  my  dear  brother ;  and  finding- 
I  had  strength  enough  to  undertake  so  long  a  jour- 
ney, I  made  the  necessary  preparations,  and  set  out. 
Nothing  ever  afflicted  me  so  much  as  hearing  of 
my  brother's  death.  But  God  be  praised  for  all 
things!  It  is  a  comfort  for  me  to  find,  as  it  were, 
my  brother  in  a  son,  who  has  his  most  remarkable 
features." 

The  African  magician  perceiving  that  the  widow 
wept  at  the  remembrance  of  her  husband,  changed 
the  conversation,  and  turning  toward  her  son,  asked 
him,  "  What  business  do  you  follow  ?  Are  you  of 
any  trade  ?  " 

At  this  question  the  youth  hung  down  his  head,, 
and  was  not  a  little  abashed  when  his  mother 
answered,  "  Aladdin  is  an  idle  fellow.     His  father,. 


52       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

when  alive,  strove  all  he  could  to  teach  him  his 
trade,  but  could  not  succeed;  and  since  his  death, 
notwithstanding  all  I  can  say  to  him,  he  does  noth- 
ing but  idle  away  his  time  in  the  streets,  as  you  saw 
him,  without  considering  he  is  no  longer  a  child; 
and  if  you  do  not  make  him  ashamed  of  it,  I  despair 
of  his  ever  coming  to  any  good.  For  my  part,  I  am 
resolved,  one  of  these  days,  to  turn  him  out  of  doors, 
and  let  him  provide  for  himself." 

After  these  words,  Aladdin's  mother  burst  into 
tears ;  and  the  magician  said,  ''  This  is  not  well, 
nephew;  you  must  think  of  helping  yourself,  and 
getting  your  livelihood.  There  are  many  sorts  of 
trades;  perhaps  you  do  not  like  your  father's,  and 
would  prefer  another ;  I  will  endeavour  to  help  you. 
If  you  have  no  mind  to  learn  any  handicraft,  I  will 
take  a  shop  for  you,  furnish  it  with  all  sorts  of  fine 
stuffs  and  linens;  and  then  with  the  money  you 
make  of  them  you  can  lay  in  fresh  goods,  and  live 
in  an  honourable  way.  Tell  me  freely  what  you 
think  of  my  proposal;  you  shall  always  find  me 
ready  to  keep  my  word." 

This  plan  just  suited  Aladdin,  who  hated  work. 
He  told  the  magician  he  had  a  greater  inclination 
to  that  business  than  to  any  other,  and  that  he  should 
be  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  kindness.  ''  Well 
then,"  said  the  African  magician,  "  I  will  carry  you 
with  me  to-morrow,  clothe  you  as  handsomely  as 
the  best  merchants  in  the  city,  and  afterward  we  will 
open  a  shop  as  I  mentioned." 

The  widow,  after  his  promises  of  kindness  to  her 
son,  no  longer  doubted  that  the  magician  was  her 
husband's  brother.     She  thanked  him  for  his  good 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     53 

intentions;  and  after  having  exhorted  Aladdin  to 
render  himself  worthy  of  his  uncle's  favour,  served 
up  supper,  at  which  they  talked  of  several  indifferent 
matters;  and  then  the  magician  took  his  leave  and 
retired. 

He  came  again  the  next  day,  as  he  had  promised, 
and  took  Aladdin  with  him  to  a  merchant,  who  sold 
all  sorts  of  clothes  for  different  ages  and  ranks, 
ready  made,  and  a  variety  of  fine  stuffs,  and  bade 
Aladdin  choose  those  he  preferred,  which  he  paid 
for. 

When  Aladdin  found  himself  so  handsomely 
equipped,  he  returned  his  uncle  thanks,  who  thus 
addressed  him :  '*  As  you  are  soon  to  be  a  merchant, 
it  is  proper  you  should  frequent  these  shops,  and  be 
acquainted  with  them."  He  then  showed  him  the 
largest  and  finest  mosques,  carried  him  to  the  khans 
or  inns  where  the  merchants  and  travellers  lodged, 
and  afterward  to  the  sultan's  palace,  where  he  had 
free  access;  and  at  last  brought  him  to  his  own 
khan,  where,  meeting  with  some  merchants  he  had 
become  acquainted  with  since  his  arrival,  he  gave 
them  a  treat,  to  bring  them  and  his  pretended 
nephew  acquainted. 

This  entertainment  lasted  till  night,  when  Aladdin 
would  have  taken  leave  of  his  uncle  to  go  home; 
the  magician  would  not  let  him  go  by  himself,  but 
conducted  him  to  his  mother,  who,  as  soon  as  she 
saw  him  so  well  dressed,  was  transported  with  joy, 
and  bestowed  a  thousand  blessings  upon  the  magi- 
cian. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  magician  called  again 
for  Aladdin,  and  said  he  would  take  him  to  spend 


54       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

that  day  in  the  country,  and  on  the  next  he  would 
purchase  the  shop.  He  then  led  him  out  at  one  of 
the  gates  of  the  city,  to  some  magnificent  palaces, 
to  each  of  which  belonged  beautiful  gardens,  into 
which  anybody  might  enter.  At  every  building  he 
came  to,  he  asked  Aladdin  if  he  did  not  think  it  fine ; 
and  the  youth  was  ready  to  answer  when  any  one 
presented  itself,  crying  out,  "  Here  is  a  finer  house, 
uncle,  than  any  we  have  yet  seen."  By  this  artifice, 
the  cunning  magician  led  Aladdin  some  way  into  the 
country;  and  as  he  meant  to  carry  him  farther,  to 
execute  his  design,  he  took  an  opportunity  to  sit 
down  in  one  of  the  gardens,  on  the  brink  of  a  fount- 
ain of  clear  water,  which  discharged  itself  by  a 
lion's  mouth  of  bronze  into  a  basin,  pretending  to 
be  tired :  "  Come,  nephew,"  said  he,  "  you  must  be 
weary  as  well  as  I;  let  us  rest  ourselves,  and  we 
shall  be  better  able  to  pursue  our  walk." 

The  magician  next  pulled  from  his  girdle  a  hand- 
kerchief with  cakes  and  fruit,  and  during  this  short 
repast  he  exhorted  his  nephew  to  leave  off  bad  com- 
pany, and  to  seek  that  of  wise  and  prudent  men,  to 
improve  by  their  conversation ;  ''  for,"  said  he,  "  you 
will  soon  be  at  man's  estate,  and  you  cannot  too 
early  begin  to  imitate  their  example."  When  they 
had  eaten  as  much  as  they  liked,  they  got  up,  and 
pursued  their  walk  through  gardens  separated  from 
one  another  only  by  small  ditches,  which  marked  out 
the  limits  without  interrupting  the  communication; 
so  great  was  the  confidence  the  inhabitants  reposed 
in  each  other.  By  this  means  the  African  magician 
drew  Aladdin  insensibly  beyond  the  gardens,  and 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     55 

crossed  the  country,  till  they  nearly  reached  the 
mountains. 

At  last  they  arrived  between  two  mountains  of 
moderate  height  and  equal  size,  divided  by  a  narrow 
valley,  which  was  the  place  where  the  magician  in- 
tended to  execute  the  design  that  had  brought  him 
from  Africa  to  China.  '*  We  will  go  no  farther 
now,"  said  he  to  Aladdin ;  **  I  will  show  you  here 
some  extraordinary  things,  which,  when  you  have 
seen,  you  will  thank  me  for:  but  while  I  strike  a 
light,  gather  up  all  the  loose  dry  sticks  you  can  see, 
to  kindle  a  fire  with." 

Aladdin  found  so  many  dried  sticks,  that  he  soon 
collected  a  great  heap.  The  magician  presently  set 
them  on  fire ;  and  when  they  were  in  a  blaze,  threw 
in  some  incense,  pronouncing  several  magical  words, 
which  Aladdin  did  not  understand. 

He  had  scarcely  done  so  when  the  earth  opened 
just  before  the  magician,  and  discovered  a  stone 
with  a  brass  ring  fixed  in  it.  Aladdin  was  so  fright- 
ened that  he  would  have  run  away,  but  the  magician 
caught  hold  of  him,  and  gave  him  such  a  box  on  the 
ear  that  he  knocked  him  down.  Aladdin  got  up 
trembling,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes  said  to  the 
magician,  "  What  have  I  done,  uncle,  to  be  treated 
in  this  severe  manner?"  "I  am  your  uncle," 
answered  the  magician ;  "  I  supply  the  place  of  your 
father,  and  you  ought  to  make  no  reply.  But  child," 
added  he,  softening,  ''  do  not  be  afraid ;  for  I  shall 
not  ask  anything  of  you,  but  that  you  obey  me  punc- 
tually, if  you  would  reap  the  advantages  which  I 
intend  you.  Know,  then,  that  under  this  stone  there 
is  hidden  a  treasure,  destined  to  be  yours,  and  which 


56       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

will  make  you  richer  than  the  greatest  monarch  in 
the  world.  No  person  but  yourself  is  permitted  to 
lift  this  stone,  or  enter  the  cave ;  so  you  must  punc- 
tually execute  what  I  may  command,  for  it  is  a 
matter  of  great  consequence  both  to  you  and  me." 

Aladdin,  amazed  at  all  he  saw  and  heard,  forgot 
what  was  past,  and  rising  said,  ''  Well,  uncle,  what 
is  to  be  done?  Command  me,  I  am  ready  to  obey." 
"  I  am  overjoyed,  child,"  said  the  African  magician, 
embracing  him.  "  Take  hold  of  the  ring,  and  lift 
up  that  stone."  "  Indeed,  uncle,"  replied  Aladdin, 
'•'  I  am  not  strong  enough ;  you  must  help  me." 
"  You  have  no  occasion  for  my  assistance," 
answered  the  magician ;  "  if  I  help  you,  we  shall  be 
able  to  do  nothing.  Take  hold  of  the  ring,  and  lift 
it  up ;  you  will  find  it  will  come  easily."  Aladdin  did 
as  the  magician  bade  him,  raised  the  stone  with  ease, 
and  laid  it  on  one  side. 

When  the  stone  was  pulled  up,  there  appeared  a 
staircase  about  three  or  four  feet  deep,  leading  to  a 
door.  "  Descend,  my  son,"  said  the  African  magi- 
cian, "  those  steps,  and  open  that  door.  It  will  lead 
you  into  a  palace,  divided  into  three  great  halls.  In 
each  of  these  you  will  see  four  large  brass  cisterns 
placed  on  each  side,  full  of  gold  and  silver ;  but  take 
care  you  do  not  meddle  with  them.  Before  you 
enter  the  first  hall,  be  sure  to  tuck  up  your  robe, 
wrap  it  about  you,  and  then  pass  through  the  second 
into  the  third  without  stopping.  Above  all  things, 
have  a  care  that  you  do  not  touch  the  walls  so  much 
as  with  your  clothes;  for  if  you  do,  you  will  die 
instantly.  At  the  end  of  the  third  hall,  you  will  find 
a  door  which  opens  into  a  garden,  planted  with  fine 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     57 

trees  loaded  with  fruit.  Walk  directly  across  the 
garden  to  a  terrace,  where  you  will  see  a  niche  be- 
fore you,  and  in  that  niche  a  lighted  lamp.  Take 
the  lamp  down  and  put  it  out.  When  you  have 
thrown  away  the  wick  and  poured  out  the  liquor, 
put  it  in  your  waistband  and  bring  it  to  me.  Do  not 
be  afraid  that  the  liquor  will  spoil  your  clothes,  for 
it  is  not  oil,  and  the  lamp  will  be  dry  as  soon  as  it 
is  thrown  out." 

After  these  words  the  magician  drew  a  ring  off 
his  finger,  and  put  it  on  one  of  Aladdin's,  saying, 
"  It  is  a  talisman  against  all  evil,  so  long  as  you 
obey  me.  Go,  therefore,  boldly,  and  we  shall  both 
be  rich  all  our  lives." 

Aladdin  descended  the  steps,  and,  opening  the 
door,  found  the  three  halls  just  as  the  African  ma- 
gician had  described.  He  went  through  them  with 
all  the  precaution  the  fear  of  death  could  inspire, 
crossed  the  garden  without  stopping,  took  down  the 
lamp  from  the  niche,  threw  out  the  wick  and  the 
liquor,  and,  as  the  magician  had  desired,  put  it  in 
his  waistband.  But  as  he  came  down  from  the  ter- 
race, seeing  it  was  perfectly  dry,  he  stopped  in  the 
garden  to  observe  the  trees,  which  were  loaded  with 
extraordinary  fruit  of  different  colours  on  each  tree. 
Some  bore  fruit  entirely  white,  and  some  clear  and 
transparent  as  crystal;  some  pale  red,  and  others 
deeper;  some  green,  blue,  and  purple,  and  others 
yellow ;  in  short,  there  was  fruit  of  all  colours.  The 
white  were  pearls ;  the  clear  and  transparent, 
diamonds;  the  deep  red,  rubies;  the  paler,  balas 
rubies;  the  green,  emeralds;  the  blue,  turquoises; 
the  purple,  amethysts;    and    the  yellow,  sapphires. 


58       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Aladdin,  ignorant  of  their  value,  would  have  pre- 
ferred figs,  or  grapes,  or  pomegranates;  but  as  he 
had  his  uncle's  permission,  he  resolved  to  gather 
some  of  every  sort.  Having  filled  the  two  new 
purses  his  uncle  had  bought  for  him  with  his  clothes, 
lie  wrapped  some  up  in  the  skirts  of  his  vest,  and 
•crammed  his  bosom  as  full  as  it  could  hold. 

Aladdin,  having  thus  loaded  himself  with  riches 
of  which  he  knew  not  the  value,  returned  through 
the  three  halls  with  the  utmost  precaution,  and  soon 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  where  the  African 
magician  awaited  him  with  the  utmost  impatience. 
As  soon  as  Aladdin  saw  him,  he  cried  out,  "  Pray, 
uncle,  lend  me  your  hand,  to  help  me  out."  "  Give 
me  the  lamp  first,"  replied  the  magician ;  "  it  will  be 
troublesome  to  you."  "  Indeed,  uncle,"  answered 
Aladdin,  *'  I  cannot  now,  but  I  will  as  soon  as  I  am 
up."  The  African  magician  was  determined  that  he 
would  have  the  lamp  before  he  would  help  him  up ; 
and  Aladdin,  who  had  encumbered  himself  so  much 
with  his  fruit  that  he  could  not  well  get  at  it,  refused 
to  give  it  to  him  till  he  was  out  of  the  cave.  The 
African  magician,  provoked  at  this  obstinate  refusal, 
flew  into  a  passion,  threw  a  little  of  his  incense  into 
the  fire,  and  pronounced  two  magical  words,  when 
the  stone  which  had  closed  the  mouth  of  the  stair- 
case moved  into  its  place,  with  the  earth  over  it  in 
the  same  manner  as  it  lay  at  the  arrival  of  the 
magician  and  Aladdin. 

This  action  of  the  magician  plainly  revealed  to 
Aladdin  that  he  was  no  uncle  of  his,  but  one  who 
designed  him  evil.  The  truth  was  that  he  had 
learnt  from  his  magic  books  the  secret  and  the  value 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     59 

of  this  wonderful  lamp,  the  owner  of  which  would 
be  made  richer  than  any  earthly  ruler,  and  hence  his 
journey  to  China.  His  art  had  also  told  him  that 
he  was  not  permitted  to  take  it  himself,  but  must 
receive  it  as  a  voluntary  gift  from  the  hands  of  an- 
other person.  Hence  he  employed  young  Aladdin, 
and  hoped  by  a  mixture  of  kindness  and  authority  to 
make  him  obedient  to  his  word  and  will.  When  he 
found  that  his  attempt  had  failed,  he  set  out  to  re- 
turn to  Africa,  but  avoided  the  town,  lest  any  person 
who  had  seen  him  leave  in  company  with  Aladdin 
should  make  inquiries  after  the  youth.  Aladdin 
being  suddenly  enveloped  in  darkness,  cried,  and 
called  out  to  his  uncle  to  tell  him  he  was  ready  to 
give  him  the  lamp ;  but  in  vain,  since  his  cries  could 
not  be  heard.  He  descended  to  the  bottom  of  the 
steps,  with  a  design  to  get  into  the  palace,  but  the 
door,  which  was  opvened  before  by  enchantment,  was 
now  shut  by  the  same  means.  He  then  redoubled 
his  cries  and  tears,  sat  down  on  the  steps  without 
any  hopes  of  ever  seeing  light  again,  and  in  an  ex- 
pectation of  passing  from  the  present  darkness  to 
a  speedy  death.  In  this  great  emergency  he  said, 
"  There  is  no  strength  or  power  but  in  the  great 
and  high  God  " ;  and  in  joining  his  hands  to  pray  he 
rubbed  the  ring  which  the  magician  had  put  on  his 
finger.  Immediately  a  genie  of  frightful  aspect  ap- 
peared, and  said,  "  What  wouldst  thou  have?  I  am 
ready  to  obey  thee.  I  serve  him  who  possesses  the 
ring  on  thy  finger;  I,  and  the  other  slaves  of  that 
ring." 

At  another  time  Aladdin  would  have  been  fright- 
ened at  the  sight  of  so  extraordinary  a  figure,  but 


6o       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  danger  he  was  in  made  him  answer  without  hesi- 
tation, '*  Whoever  thou  art,  deliver  me  from  this 
place."  He  had  no  sooner  spoken  these  words,  than 
he  found  himself  on  the  very  spot  where  the  ma- 
gician had  last  left  him,  and  no  sign  of  cave  or 
opening,  nor  disturbance  of  the  earth.  Returning 
God  thanks  to  find  himself  once  more  in  the  world, 
he  made  the  best  of  his  way  home.  When  he  got 
within  his  mother's  door,  the  joy  to  see  her  and  his 
weakness  for  want  of  sustenance  made  him  so  faint 
that  he  remained  for  a  long  time  as  dead.  As  soon 
as  he  recovered,  he  related  to  his  mother  all  that  had 
happened  to  him,  and  they  were  both  very  vehe- 
ment in  their  complaints  of  the  cruel  magician. 
Aladdin  slept  very  soundly  till  late  the  next  morning, 
when  the  first  thing  he  said  to  his  mother  was,  that 
he  wanted  something  to  eat,  and  wished  she  would 
give  him  his  breakfast.  "  Alas !  child,"  said  she,  "  I 
have  not  a  bit  of  bread  to  give  you ;  you  ate  up  all 
the  provisions  I  had  in  the  house  yesterday;  but  I 
have  a  little  cotton  which  I  have  spun ;  I  will  go  and 
sell  it,  and  buy  bread  and  something  for  our  dinner." 
"  Mother,"  replied  Aladdin,  ''  keep  your  cotton  for 
another  time,  and  give  me  the  lamp  I  brought  home 
with  me  yesterday;  I  will  go  and  sell  it,  and  the 
money  I  shall  get  for  it  will  serve  both  for  break- 
fast and  dinner,  and  perhaps  supper  too." 

Aladdin's  mother  took  the  lamp  and  said  to  her 
son,  "  Here  it  is,  but  it  is  very  dirty ;  if  it  were  a 
little  cleaner  I  believe  it  would  bring  something 
more."  She  took  some  fine  sand  and  water  to  clean 
it;  but  had  no  sooner  begun  to  rub  it,  than  in  an 
instant  a  hideous  genie  of  gigantic  size  appeared 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     6i 

before  her,  and  said  to  her  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
"  What  wouldst  thou  have  ?  I  am  ready  to  obey 
thee  as  thy  slave,  and  the  slave  of  all  those  who  have 
that  lamp  in  their  hands;  I  and  the  other  slaves  of 
the  lamp." 

Aladdin's  mother,  terrified  at  the  sight  of  the 
genie,  fainted ;  when  Aladdin,  who  had  seen  such  a 
phantom  in  the  cavern,  snatched  the  lamp  out  of 
his  mother's  hand,  and  said  to  the  genie  boldly,  ''  I 
am  hungry,  bring  me  something  to  eat."  The  genie 
disappeared  immediately,  and  in  an  instant  returned 
with  a  large  silver  tray,  holding  twelve  covered 
dishes  of  the  same  metal,  which  contained  the  most 
delicious  viands ;  six  large  white  bread  cakes  on  two 
plates,  two  flagons  of  wine,  and  two  silver  cups. 
All  these  he  placed  upon  a  carpet  and  disappeared; 
this  was  done  before  Aladdin's  mother  recovered 
from  her  swoon. 

Aladdin  had  fetched  some  water,  and  sprinkled  it 
in  her  face  to  recover  her.  Whether  that  or  the 
smell  of  the  meat  effected  her  cure,  it  was  not  long 
before  she  came  to  herself.  ''  Mother,"  said  Alad- 
din, ''  be  not  afraid :  get  up  and  eat ;  here  is  what 
will  put  you  in  heart,  and  at  the  same  time  satisfy 
my  extreme  hunger." 

His  mother  was  much  surprised  to  see  the  great 
tray,  twelve  dishes,  six  loaves,  the  two  flagons  and 
cups,  and  to  smell  the  savoury  odour  which  exhaled 
from  the  dishes.  "  Child,"  said  she,  "  to  whom  are 
we  obliged  for  this  great  plenty  and  liberality  ?  Has 
the  sultan  been  made  acquainted  with  our  poverty, 
and  had  compassion  on  us?"  '*  It  is  no  matter, 
mother,"  said  Aladdin,  "let  us  sit  down  and  eat; 


62       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

for  you  have  almost  as  much  need  of  a  good  break- 
fast as  myself ;  when  we  have  done,  I  will  tell  you." 
Accordingly,  both  mother  and  son  sat  down  and  ate 
with  the  better  relish  as  the  table  was  so  well  fur- 
nished. But  all  the  time  Aladdin's  mother  could 
not  forbear  looking  at  and  admiring  the  tray  and 
dishes,  though  she  could  not  judge  whether  they 
were  silver  or  any  other  metal,  and  the  novelty  more 
than  the  value  attracted  her  attention. 

The  mother  and  son  sat  at  breakfast  till  it  was 
dinner-time,  and  then  they  thought  it  would  be  best 
to  put  the  two  meals  together;  yet,  after  this  they 
found  they  should  have  enough  left  for  supper,  and 
two  meals  for  the  next  day. 

When  Aladdin's  mother  had  taken  away  and  set 
by  what  was  left,  she  went  and  sat  down  by  her  son 
on  the  sofa,  saying,  "  I  expect  now  that  you  should 
satisfy  my  impatience,  and  tell  me  exactly  what 
passed  between  the  genie  and  you  while  I  was  in  a 
swoon  " ;  which  he  readily  complied  with. 

She  was  in  as  great  amazement  at  what  her  son 
told  her,  as  at  the  appearance  of  the  genie ;  and  said 
to  him,  "  But,  son,  what  have  we  to  do  with  genies  ? 
I  never  heard  that  any  of  my  acquaintance  had  ever 
seen  one.  How  came  that  vile  genie  to  address  him- 
self to  me,  and  not  to  you,  to  whom  he  had  appeared 
before  in  the  cave  ?  "  "  Mother,"  answered  Aladdin, 
"  the  genie  you  saw  is  not  the  one  who  appeared  to 
me.  If  you  remember,  he  that  I  first  saw  called  him- 
self the  slave  of  the  ring  on  my  finger ;  and  this  you 
saw,  called  himself  the  slave  of  the  lamp  you  had  in 
your  hand;  but  I  believe  you  did  not  hear  hiir^  for 
I  think  you  fainted  as  soon  as  he  began  to  speak." 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     63 

''  What !  "  cried  the  mother,  "  was  your  lamp  then 
the  occasion  of  that  cursed  genie's  addressing  him- 
self rather  to  me  than  to  you  ?  Ah !  my  son,  take  it 
out  of  my  sight,  and  put  it  where  you  please.  I  had 
rather  you  would  sell  it  than  run  the  hazard  of  being 
frightened  to  death  again  by  touching  it;  and  if 
you  would  take  my  advice,  you  would  part  also  with 
the  ring,  and  not  have  anything  to  do  with  genies, 
who,  as  our  prophet  has  told  us,  are  only  devils." 

"  With  your  leave,  mother,"  replied  Aladdin,  "  I 
shall  now  take  care  how  I  sell  a  lamp  which  may  be 
so  serviceable  both  to  you  and  me.  That  false  and 
wicked  magician  would  not  have  undertaken  so  long 
a  journey  to  secure  this  wonderful  lamp  if  he  had 
not  known  its  value  to  exceed  that  of  gold  and 
silver.  And  since  we  have  honestly  come  by  it,  let 
us  make  a  profitable  use  of  it,  without  making  any 
great  show,  and  exciting  the  envy  and  jealousy  of 
our  neighbours.  However,  since  the  genies  frighten 
you  so  much,  I  will  take  it  out  of  your  sight,  and 
put  it  where  I  may  find  it  when  I  want  it.  The  ring 
I  cannot  resolve  to  part  with ;  for  without  that  you 
had  never  seen  me  again;  and  though  I  am  alive 
now,  perhaps,  if  it  were  gone,  I  might  not  be  so 
some  moments  hence;  therefore,  I  hope  you  will 
give  me  leave  to  keep  it,  and  to  wear  it  always  on 
my  finger."  Aladdin's  mother  replied  that  he  might 
do  what  he  pleased;  for  her  part,  she  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  genies,  and  never  say  anything 
more  about  them. 

By  the  next  night  they  had  eaten  all  the  pro- 
visions the  genie  had  brought;  and  the  next  day 
Aladdin,  who  could  not  bear  the  thoughts  of  hunger, 


64       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

putting  one  of  the  silver  dishes  under  his  vest,  went 
out  early  to  sell  it,  and  addressing  himself  to  a  Jew 
whom  he  met  in  the  streets,  took  him  aside,  and 
pulling  out  the  plate,  asked  him  if  he  would  buy  it. 
The  cunning  Jew  took  the  dish,  examined  it,  and 
as  soon  as  he  found  that  it  was  good  silver,  asked 
Aladdin  at  how  much  he  valued  it.  Aladdin,  who 
had  never  been  used  to  such  traffic,  told  him  he 
would  trust  to  his  judgment  and  honour.  The  Jew 
was  somewhat  confounded  at  this  plain  dealing; 
and  doubting  whether  Aladdin  understood  the 
material  or  the  full  value  of  what  he  offered  to  sell, 
took  a  piece  of  gold  out  of  his  purse  and  gave  it 
him,  though  it  was  but  the  sixtieth  part  of  the  worth 
of  the  plate.  Aladdin,  taking  the  money  very 
eagerly,  retired  with  so  much  haste,  that  the  Jew, 
not  content  with  the  exorbitancy  of  his  profit,  was 
vexed  he  had  not  penetrated  into  his  ignorance,  and 
was  going  to  run  after  him,  to  endeavour  to  get 
some  change  out  of  the  piece  of  gold;  but  he  ran 
so  fast,  and  had  got  so  far,  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  him  to  overtake  him. 

Before  Aladdin  went  home,  he  called  at  a  baker's, 
bought  some  cakes  of  bread,  changed  his  money, 
and  on  his  return  gave  the  rest  to  his  mother,  who 
went  and  purchased  provisions  enough  to  last  them 
some  time.  After  this  manner  they  lived,  till  Alad- 
din had  sold  the  twelve  dishes  singly,  as  necessity 
pressed,  to  the  Jew,  for  the  same  money ;  who,  after 
the  first  time,  durst  not  offer  him  less,  for  fear  of 
losing  so  good  a  bargain.  When  he  had  sold  the 
last  dish,  he  had  recourse  to  the  tray,  which  weighed 
ten  times  as  much  as  the  dishes,  and  would  have 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     65 

carried  it  to  his  old  purchaser,  but  that  it  was  too 
large  and  cumbersone;  therefore  he  was  obliged  to 
bring  him  home  with  him  to  his  mother's,  where, 
after  the  Jew  had  examined  the  weight  of  the  tray, 
he  laid  down  ten  pieces  of  gold,  with  which  Aladdin 
was  very  well  satisfied. 

When  all  the  money  was  spent,  Aladdin  had  re- 
course again  to  the  lamp.  He  took  it  in  his  hands, 
looked  for  the  part  where  his  mother  had  rubbed  it 
with  the  sand,  rubbed  it  also,  when  the  genie  im- 
mediately appeared,  and  said,  ''  What  wouldst  thou 
have?  I  am  ready  to  obey  thee  as  thy  slave,  and 
the  slave  of  all  those  who  have  that  lamp  in  their 
hands ;  I,  and  the  other  slaves  of  the  lamp."  *'  I 
am  hungry,"  said  Aladdin,  ''  bring  me  something 
to  eat."  The  genie  disappeared,  and  presently  re- 
turned with  a  tray,  the  same  number  of  covered 
dishes  as  before,  set  them  down,  and  vanished. 

As  soon  as  Aladdin  found  that  their  provisions 
were  again  expended,  he  took  one  of  the  dishes, 
and  went  to  look  for  his  Jew  chapman ;  but  passing 
by  a  goldsmith's  shop,  the  goldsmith  perceiving  him, 
called  to  him,  and  said,  ''  My  lad,  I  imagine  that  you 
have  something  to  sell  to  the  Jew,  whom  I  often 
see  you  visit ;  but  perhaps  you  do  not  know  that  he 
is  the  greatest  rogue  even  among  the  Jews.  I  will 
give  you  the  full  worth  of  what  you  have  to  sell,  or 
I  will  direct  you  to  other  merchants  who  will  not 
cheat  you." 

This  offer  induced  Aladdin  to  pull  his  plate  from 
under  his  vest  and  show  it  to  the  goldsmith ;  who  at 
first  sight  saw  that  it  was  made  of  the  finest  silver, 
and  asked  him  if  he  had  sold  such  as  that  to  the 


66       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Jew;  when  Aladdin  told  him  that  he  had  sold  him 
twelve  such,  for  a  piece  of  gold  each.  "  What  a  vil- 
lain !  "  cried  the  goldsmith.  "  But/'  added  he,  "  my 
son,  what  is  past  cannot  be  recalled.  By  showing 
you  the  value  of  this  plate,  which  is  of  the  finest 
silver  we  use  in  our  shops,  I  will  let  you  see  how 
much  the  Jew  has  cheated  you." 

The  goldsmith  took  a  pair  of  scales,  weighed  the 
dish,  and  assured  him  that  his  plate  would  fetch  by 
weight  sixty  pieces  of  gold,  which  he  offered  to  pay 
down  immediately. 

Aladdin  thanked  him  for  his  fair  dealing,  and 
never  after  went  to  any  other  person. 

Though  Aladdin  and  his  mother  had  an  inex- 
haustible treasure  in  their  lamp,  and  might  have  had 
whatever  they  wished  for,  yet  they  lived  with  the 
same  frugality  as  before,  and  it  may  easily  be  sup- 
posed that  the  money  for  which  Aladdin  had  sold 
the  dishes  and  tray  was  sufficient  to  maintain  them 
some  time. 

During  this  interval,  Aladdin  frequented  the 
shops  of  the  principal  merchants,  where  they  sold 
cloth  of  gold  and  silver,  linens,  silk  stuffs,  and 
jewellery,  and,»oftentimes  joining  in  their  conversa- 
tion, acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  a 
desire  to  improve  himself.  By  his  acquaintance 
among  the  jewellers,  he  came  to  know  that  the  fruits 
which  he  had  gathered  when  he  took  the  lamp  were, 
instead  of  coloured  glass,  stones  of  inestimable  value; 
but  he  had  the  prudence  not  to  mention  this  to  any 
one,  not  even  to  his  mother. 

One  day  as  Aladdin  was  walking  about  the  town, 
he  heard  an    order    proclaimed,    commanding    the 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     67 

people  to  shut  up  their  shops  and  houses,  and  keep 
within  doors  while  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor, 
the  sultan's  daughter,  went  to  the  bath  and  returned. 

This  proclamation  inspired  Aladdin  with  eager 
desire  to  see  the  princess's  face,  which  he  determined 
to  gratify,  by  placing  himself  behind  the  door  of  the 
bath,  so  that  he  could  not  fail  to  see  her  face. 

Aladdin  had  not  long  concealed  himself  before 
the  princess  came.  She  was  attended  by  a  great 
crowd  of  ladies,  slaves,  and  mutes,  who  walked  on 
each  side  and  behind  her.  When  she  came  within 
three  or  four  paces  of  the  door  of  the  bath,  she  took 
off  her  veil,  and  gave  Aladdin  an  opportunity  of  a 
full  view  of  her  face. 

The  princess  was  a  noted  beauty:  her  eyes  were 
large,  lively,  and  sparkling;  her  smile  bewitching; 
her  nose  faultless ;  her  mouth  small ;  her  lips  ver- 
milion. It  is  not  therefore  surprising  that  Aladdin, 
who  had  never  before  seen  such  a  blaze  of  charms, 
was  dazzled  and  enchanted. 

After  the  princess  had  passed  by,  and  entered  the 
bath,  Aladdin  quitted  his  hiding-place,  and  went 
home.  His  mother  perceived  him  to  be  more 
thoughtful  and  melancholy  than  usual;  and  asked 
what  had  happened  to  make  him  so,  or  if  he  was  ill. 
He  then  told  his  mother  all  his  adventure,  and  con- 
cluded by  declaring,  "  I  love  the  princess  more  than 
I  can  express,  and  am  resolved  that  I  will  ask  her 
in  marriage  of  the  sultan." 

Aladdin's  mother  listened  with  surprise  to  what 
her  son  told  her;  but  when  he  talked  of  asking  the 
princess  in  marriage,  she  laughed  aloud.     "  Alas ! 


68       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

child,"  said  she,  "what  are  you  thinking  of?  You 
must  be  mad  to  talk  thus." 

"  I  assure  you,  mother,"  replied  Aladdin,  "  that  I 
am  not  mad,  but  in  my  right  senses.  I  foresaw  that 
you  would  reproach  me  with  folly  and  extrava- 
gance ;  but  I  must  tell  you  once  more,  that  I  am  re- 
solved to  demand  the  princess  of  the  sultan  in  mar- 
riage ;  nor  do  I  despair  of  success.  I  have  the  slaves 
of  the  lamp  and  of  the  ring  to  help  me,  and  you 
know  how  powerful  their  aid  is.  And  I  have  an- 
other secret  to  tell  you :  those  pieces  of  glass,  which 
I  got  from  the  trees  in  the  garden  of  the  subter- 
ranean palace,  are  jewels  of  inestimable  value,  and 
fit  for  the  greatest  monarchs.  All  the  precious 
stones  the  jewellers  have  in  Bagdad  are  not  to  be 
compared  to  mine  for  size  or  beauty ;  and  I  am  sure 
that  the  offer  of  them  will  secure  the  favour  of  the 
sultan.  You  have  a  large  porcelain  dish  fit  to  hold 
them;  fetch  it,  and  let  us  see  how  they  will  look, 
when  we  have  arranged  them  according  to  their  dif- 
ferent colours. 

Aladdin's  mother  brought  the  china  dish,  when 
he  took  the  jewels  out  of  the  two  purses  in  which 
he  had  kept  them,  and  placed  them  in  order,  accord- 
ing to  his  fancy.  But  the  brightness  and  lustre 
they  emitted  in  the  daytime,  and  the  variety  of  the 
colours,  so  dazzled  the  eyes  both  of  mother  and  son» 
that  they  were  astonished  beyond  measure.  Alad- 
din's mother,  emboldened  by  the  sight  of  these 
rich  jewels,  and  fearful  lest  her  son  should  be  guilty 
of  greater  extravagance,  complied  with  his  request, 
and  promised  to  go  early  in  the  next  morning  to  the 
palace  of  the  sultan.     Aladdin  rose  before  daybreak, 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     69 

awakened  his  mother,  pressing  her  to  go  to  the  sul- 
tan's palace,  and  to  get  admittance,  if  possible, before 
the  grand  vizier,  the  other  viziers,  and  the  great 
officers  of  state  went  in  to  take  their  seats  in  the 
divan,  where  the  sultan  always  attended  in  person. 

Aladdin's  mother  took  the  china  dish,  in  which 
they  had  put  the  jewels  the  day  before,  wrapped  it 
in  two  fine  napkins,  and  set  forward  for  the  sultan's 
palace.  When  she  came  to  the  gates,  the  grand 
vizier,  the  other  viziers,  and  most  distinguished  lords 
of  the  court  were  just  gone  in ;  but  notwithstanding 
the  crowd  of  people  was  great,  she  got  into  the 
divan,  a  spacious  hall,  the  entrance  into  which  was 
very  magnificent.  She  placed  herself  just  before  the 
sultan,  grand  vizier,  and  the  great  lords,  who  sat  in 
council,  on  his  right  and  left  hand.  Several  causes 
were  called,  according  to  their  order,  pleaded  and 
adjudged,  until  the  time  the  divan  generally  broke 
up,  when  the  sultan,  rising,  returned  to  his  apart- 
ment, attended  by  the  grand  vizier ;  the  other  viziers 
and  ministers  of  state  then  retired,  as  also  did  all 
those  whose  business  had  called  them  thither. 

Aladdin's  mother,  seeing  the  sultan  retire,  and  all 
the  people  depart,  judged  rightly  that  he  would  not 
sit  again  that  day,  and  resolved  to  go  home ;  and  on 
her  arrival  said,  with  much  simplicity,  "  Son,  I  have 
seen  the  sultan,  and  am  very  well  persuaded  he  has 
seen  me,  too,  for  I  placed  myself  just  before  him; 
but  he  was  so  much  taken  up  with  those  who  at- 
tended on  all  sides  of  him  that  I  pitied  him,  and 
wondered  at  his  patience.  At  last  I  believe  he  was 
heartily  tired,  for  he  rose  up  suddenly,  and  would 
not  hear  a  great  many  who  were  ready  prepared  to 


70       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

speak  to  him,  but  went  away,  at  which  I  was  well 
pleased,  for  indeed  I  began  to  lose  all  patience,  and 
was  extremely  fatigued  with  staying  so  long.  But 
there  is  no  harm  done ;  I  will  go  again  to-morrow ; 
perhaps  the  sultan  may  not  be  so  busy." 

The  next  morning  she  repaired  to  the  sultan's 
palace  with  the  present,  as  early  as  the  day  before ; 
but  when  she  came  there,  she  found  the  gates  of 
the  divan  shut.  She  went  six  times  afterward  on 
the  days  appointed,  placed  herself  always  directly 
before  th€  sultan,  but  with  as  little  success  as  the 
first  morning. 

On  the  sixth  day,  however,  after  the  divan  was 
broken  up,  when  the  sultan  returned  to  his  own 
apartment,  he  said  to  his  grand  vizier :  "  I  have  for 
some  time  observed  a  certain  woman,  who  attends 
constantly  every  day  that  I  give  audience,  with 
som.ething  wrapped  up  in  a  napkin;  she  always 
stands  up  from  the  beginning  to  the  breaking  up  of 
the  audience,  and  aifects  to  place  herself  just  before 
me.  If  this  woman  comes  to  our  next  audience,  do 
not  fail  to  call  her,  that  I  may  hear  what  she  has  to 
say."  The  grand  vizier  made  answer  by  lowering 
his  hand,  and  then  lifting  it  up  above  his  head,  sig- 
nifying his  willingness  to  lose  it  if  he  failed. 

On  the  next  audience  day,  when  Aladdin's  mother 
went  to  the  divan,  and  placed  herself  in  front  of  the 
sultan  as  usual,  the  grand  vizier  immediately  called 
the  chief  of  the  mace-bearers,  and  pointing  to  her 
bade  him  bring  her  before  the  sultan.  The  old 
woman  at  once  followed  the  mace-bearer,  and  when 
she  reached  the  sultan  bowed  her  head  down  to  the 
carpet  which  covered  the  platform  of  the  throne, 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     71 

and  remained  in  that  posture  until  he  bade  her  rise, 
which  she  had  no  sooner  done,  than  he  said  to  her, 
"  Good  woman,  I  have  observed  you  to  stand  many 
days  from  the  beginning  to  the  rising  of  the  divan ; 
what  business  brings  you  here?  " 

After  these  words,  Aladdin's  mother  prostrated 
herself  a  second  time ;  and  when  she  arose,  said, 
"  Monarch  of  monarchs,  I  beg  of  you  to  pardon  the 
boldness  of  my  petition,  and  to  assure  me  of  your 
pardon  and  forgiveness."  "  Well,"  replied  the  sul- 
tan, "  I  will  forgive  you,  be  it  what  it  may,  and  no 
hurt  shall  come  to  you ;  speak  boldly." 

When  Aladdin's  mother  had  taken  all  these  pre- 
cautions, for  fear  of  the  sultan's  anger,  she  told  him 
faithfully  the  errand  on  which  her  son  had  sent  her, 
and  the  event  which  led  to  his  making  so  bold  a 
request  in  spite  of  all  her  remonstrances. 

The  sultan  hearkened  to  this  discourse  without 
showing  the  least  anger ;  but  before  he  gave  her  any 
answer,  asked  her  what  she  had  brought  tied  up  in 
the  napkin.  She  took  the  china  dish  which  she  had 
set  down  at  the  foot  of  the  throne,  untied  it,  and 
presented  it  to  the  sultan. 

The  sultan's  amazement  and  surprise  were  inex- 
pressible, when  he  saw  so  many  large,  beautiful  and 
valuable  jewels  collected  in  the  dish.  He  remained 
for  some  time  lost  in  admiration.  At  last,  when  he 
had  recovered  himself,  he  received  the  present  from 
Aladdin's  mother's  hand ;  saying,  *'  How  rich,  how 
beautiful !  "  After  he  had  admired  and  handled  all 
the  jewels  one  after  another,  he  turned  to  his  grand 
vizier,  and  showing  him  the  dish,  said,  "  Behold, 
admire,  wonder!  and  confess  that  your  tyes  never 


72       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

beheld  jewels  so  rich  and  beautiful  before."  The 
vizier  was  charmed.  "  Well,"  continued  the  sultan, 
"what  sayest  thou  to  such  a  present?  Is  it  not 
worthy  of  the  princess  my  daughter?  And  ought 
I  not  to  bestow  her  on  one  who  values  her  at  so 
great  a  price?"  '*  I  cannot  but  own,"  replied  the 
grand  vizier,  "  that  the  present  is  worthy  of  the 
princess;  but  I  beg  of  your  majesty  to  grant  me 
three  months  before  you  come  to  a  final  resolution. 
I  hope,  before  that  time,  my  son,  whom  you  have 
regarded  with  your  favour,  will  be  able  to  make  a 
nobler  present  than  this  Aladdin,  who  is  an  entire 
stranger  to  your  majesty." 

The  sultan  granted  his  request,  and  he  said  to  the 
old  woman,  ''  Good  woman,  go  home,  and  tell  your 
son  that  I  agree  to  the  proposal  you  have  made  me ; 
but  I  cannot  marry  the  princess  my  daughter  for 
three  months;  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  come 
again." 

Aladdin's  mother  returned  home  much  more  grati- 
fied than  she  had  expected,  and  told  her  son  with 
much  joy  the  condescending  answer  she  had  re- 
ceived from  the  sultan's  own  mouth;  and  that  she 
was  to  come  to  the  divan  again  that  day  three 
months. 

Aladdin  thought  himself  the  most  happy  of  all 
men  at  hearing  this  news,  and  thanked  his  mother 
for  the  pains  she  had  taken  in  the  affair,  the  good 
success  of  which  was  of  so  great  importance  to  his 
peace,  that  he  counted  every  day,  week,  and  even 
hour  as  it  passed.  When  two  of  the  three  months 
were  passed,  his  mother  one  evening,  having  no  oil 
in  the  house,  went  out  to  buy  some,  and  found  a 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     73 

general  rejoicing — the  houses  dressed  with  foHage, 
silks,  and  carpeting,  and  every  one  striving  to  show 
their  joy  according  to  their  ability.  The  streets  were 
crowded  with  officers  in  habits  of  ceremony, 
mounted  on  horses  richly  caparisoned,  each  at- 
tended by  a  great  many  footmen.  Aladdin's  mother 
asked  the  oil  merchant  what  was  the  meaning  of  all 
this  preparation  of  public  festivity.  ''  Whence  came 
you,  good  woman,"  said  he,  "  that  you  don't  know 
that  the  grand  vizier's  son  is  to  marry  the  Princess 
Buddir  al  Buddoor,  the  sultan's  daughter,  to-night? 
She  will  presently  return  from  the  bath;  and  these 
officers  whom  you  see  are  to  assist  at  the  cavalcade 
to  the  palace,  where  the  ceremony  is  to  be  solem- 
nised." 

Aladdin's  mother,  on  hearing  these  news,  ran 
home  very  quickly.  "  Child,"  cried  she,  "  you  are 
undone !  the  sultan's  fine  promises  will  come  to 
nought.  This  night  the  grand  vizier's  son  is  to 
marry  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor." 

At  this  account,  Aladdin  was  thunderstruck,  and 
he  bethought  himself  of  the  lamp,  and  of  the  genie 
who  had  promised  to  obey  him ;  and  without  indulg- 
ing in  idle  words  against  the  sultan,  the  vizier,  or 
his  son,  he  determined,  if  possible,  to  prevent  the 
marriage. 

When  Aladdin  had  got  into  his  chamber,  he  took 
the  lamp,  rubbed  it  in  the  same  place  as  before,  when 
immediately  the  genie  appeared,  and  said  to  him, 
"  What  wouldst  thou  have  ?  I  am  ready  to  obey 
thee  as  thy  slave;  I,  and  the  other  slaves  of  the 
lamp."  "  Hear  me,"  said  Aladdin ;  "  thou  hast 
hitherto  obeyed  me,  but  now  I  am  about  to  impose 


74       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

on  thee  a  harder  task.  The  sultan's  daughter,  who 
was  promised  me  as  my  bride,  is  this  night  married 
to  the  son  of  the  grand  vizier.  Bring  them  both 
hither  to  me  immediately  they  retire  to  their  bed- 
chamber." 

"  Master,"  replied  the  genie,  "  I  obey  you." 
Aladdin  supped    with  his    mother  as  was  their 
wont,  and  then  went  to  his  own  apartment,  and  sat 
up  to  await  the  return  of  the  genie,  according  to  his 
commands. 

In  the  mean  time  the  festivities  in  honour  of  the 
princess's  marriage  were  conducted  in  the  sultan's 
palace  with  great  magnificence.  The  ceremonies 
were  at  last  brought  to  a  conclusion,  and  the  princess 
and  the  son  of  the  vizier  retired  to  the  bedchamber 
prepared  for  them.  No  sooner  had  they  entered  it, 
and  dismissed  their  attendants,  than  the  genie,  the 
faithful  slave  of  the  lamp,  to  the  great  amazement 
and  alarm  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  took  up  the 
bed,  and  by  an  agency  invisible  to  them,  transported 
it  in  an  instant  into  Aladdin's  chamber,  where  he 
set  it  down.  ''  Remove  the  bridegroom,"  said 
Aladdin  to  the  genie,  "  and  keep  him  a  prisoner  till 
to-morrow  dawn,  and  then  return  with  him  here." 
On  Aladdin  being  left  alone  with  the  princess,  he 
endeavoured  to  assuage  her  fears,  and  explained  to 
her  the  treachery  practiced  upon  him  by  the  sultan 
her  father.  He  then  laid  himself  down  beside  her, 
putting  a  drawn  scimitar  between  them,  to  show  that 
he  was  determined  to  secure  her  safety,  and  to  treat 
her  with  the  utmost  possible  respect.  At  break  of 
day,  the  genie  appeared  at  the  appointed  hour, 
bringing  back  the  bridegroom,  whom  by  breathing 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     75 

upon  he  had  left  motionless  and  entranced  at  the 
door  of  Aladdin's  chamber  during  the  night,  and  at 
Aladdin's  command  transported  the  couch  with  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  on  it,  by  the  same  invisible 
agency,  into  the  palace  of  the  sultan. 

At  the  instant  that  the  genie  had  set  down  the 
couch  with  the  bride  and  bridegroom  in  their  own 
chamber,  the  sultan  came  to  the  door  to  offer  his  good 
wishes  to  his  daughter.  The  grand  vizier's  son, 
who  was  almost  perished  with  cold,  by  standing  in 
his  thin  under-garment  all  night,  no  sooner  heard 
the  knocking  at  the  door  than  he  got  out  of  bed, 
and  ran  into  the  robing-chamber,  where  he  had  un- 
dressed himself  the  night  before. 

The  sultan  having  opened  the  door,  went  to  the 
bedside,  kissed  the  princess  on  the  forehead,  but  was 
extremely  surprised  to  see  her  look  so  melancholy. 
She  only  cast  at  him  a  sorrowful  look,  expressive 
of  great  affliction.  He  suspected  there  was  some- 
thing extraordinary  in  this  silence,  and  thereupon 
went  immediately  to  the  sultaness's  apartment,  told 
her  in  what  a  state  he  found  the  princess,  and  how 
she  had  received  him.  "  Sire,"  said  the  sultaness, 
''  I  will  go  and  see  her ;  she  will  not  receive  me  in 
the  same  manner." 

The  princess  received  her  mother  with  sighs  and 
tears,  and  signs  of  deep  dejection.  At  last,  upon 
her  pressing  on  her  the  duty  of  telling  her  all  her 
thoughts,  she  gave  to  the  sultaness  a  precise  descrip- 
tion of  all  that  happened  to  her  during  the  night ;  on 
which  the  sultaness  enjoined  on  her  the  necessity  of 
silence  and  discretion,  as  no  one  would  give  credence 
to  so  strange  a  tale.    The  grand  vizier's  son,  elated 


76       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Avith  the  honour  of  being  the  sultan's  son-in-law, 
kept  silence  on  his  part,  and  the  events  of  the  night 
were  not  allowed  to  cast  the  least  gloom  on  the  fes- 
tivities on  the  following  day,  in  continued  celebra- 
tion of  the  royal  marriage. 

When  night  came,  the  bride  and  bridegroom  were 
again  attended  to  their  chamber  with  the  same  cere- 
monies as  on  the  preceding  evening.  Aladdin,  know- 
ing that  this  would  be  so,  had  already  given  his  com- 
mands to  the  genie  of  the  lamp ;  and  no  sooner  were 
they  alone  than  their  bed  was  removed  in  the  same 
mysterious  manner  as  on  the  preceding  evening ;  and 
having  passed  the  night  in  the  same  unpleasant  way, 
they  were  in  the  morning  conveyed  to  the  palace  of 
the  sultan.  Scarcely  had  they  been  replaced  in  their 
apartment,  when  the  sultan  came  to  make  his  com- 
pliments to  his  daughter,  when  the  princess  could  no 
longer  conceal  from  him  the  unhappy  treatment  she 
had  been  subject  to,  and  told  him  all  that  had  hap- 
pened as  she  had  already  related  it  to  her  mother. 
The  sultan,  on  hearing  these  strange  tidings,  con- 
sulted with  the  grand  vizier;  and  finding  from  him 
that  his  son  had  been  subjected  to  even  worse  treat- 
ment by  an  invisible  agency,  he  determined  to  de- 
clare the  marriage  to  be  cancelled,  and  all  the  fes- 
tivities, which  were  yet  to  last  for  several  days,  to 
be  countermanded  and  terminated. 

This  sudden  change  in  the  mind  of  the  sultan  gave 
rise  to  various  speculations  and  reports.  Nobody 
but  Aladdin  knew  the  secret,  and  he  kept  it  with  the 
most  scrupulous  silence ;  and  neither  the  sultan  nor 
the  grand  vizier,  who  had  forgotten  Aladdin  and  his 
request,  had  the  least  thought  that  he  had  any  hand 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     77 

in  the  strange  adventures  that  befell  the  bride  and 
bridegroom. 

On  the  very  day  that  the  three  months  contained 
in  the  sultan's  promise  expired,  the  mother  of  Alad- 
din again  went  to  the  palace,  and  stood  in  the  same 
place  in  the  divan.  The  sultan  knew  her  again,  and 
directed  his  vizier  to  have  her  brought  before  him. 

After  having  prostrated  herself,  she  made  answer, 
in  reply  to  the  sultan :  "  Sire,  I  come  at  the  end  of 
three  months  to  ask  of  you  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promise  you  made  to  my  son."  The  sultan  little 
thought  the  request  of  Aladdin's  mother  was  made  to 
him  in  earnest,  or  that  he  would  hear  any  more  of 
the  matter.  He  therefore  took  counsel  with  his 
vizier,  who  suggested  that  the  sultan  should  attach 
such  conditions  to  the  marriage  that  no  one  of  the 
humble  condition  of  Aladdin  could  possibly  fulfill. 
In  accordance  with  this  suggestion  of  the  vizier,  the 
sultan  replied  to  the  mother  of  Aladdin :  "  Good 
woman,  it  is  true  sultans  ought  to  abide  by  their 
word,  and  I  am  ready  to  keep  mine,  by  making  your 
son  happy  in  marriage  with  the  princess  my 
daughter.  But  as  I  cannot  marry  her  without  some 
further  proof  of  your  son  being  able  to  support  her 
in  royal  state,  you  may  tell  him  I  will  fulfill  my 
promise  as  soon  as  he  shall  send  me  forty  trays  of 
massy  gold,  full  of  the  same  sort  of  jewels  you  have 
already  made  me  a  present  of,  and  carried  by  the 
like  number  of  black  slaves,  who  shall  be  led  by  as 
many  young  and  handsome  white  slaves,  all  dressed 
magnificently.  On  these  conditions  I  am  ready  to 
bestow  the  princess  my  daughter  upon  him;  there- 


78       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

fore,  good  woman,  go  and  tell  him  so,  and  I  will 
wait  till  you  bring  me  his  answer." 

Aladdin's  mother  prostrated  herself  a  second  time 
before  the  sultan's  throne,  and  retired.  On  her  way 
home,  she  laughed  within  herself  at  her  son's  foolish 
imagination.  *'  Where,"  said  she,  "  can  he  get  so 
many  large  gold  trays,  and  such  precious  stones  to 
fill  them?  It  is  altogether  out  of  his  power,  and  I 
believe  he  will  not  be  much  pleased  with  my  em- 
bassy this  time."  When  she  came  home,  full  of 
these  thoughts,  she  told  Aladdin  all  the  circumr- 
stances  of  her  interview  with  the  sultan,  and  the  con- 
ditions on  which  he  consented  to  the  marriage. 
"  The  sultan  expects  your  answer  immediately,"  said 
she ;  and  then  added,  laughing,  "  I  believe  he  may 
wait  long  enough !  " 

"  Not  so  long,  mother,  as  you  imagine,"  replied 
Aladdin,  "  This  demand  is  a  mere  trifle,  and  will 
prove  no  bar  to  my  marriage  with  the  princess.  I 
will  prepare  at  once  to  satisfy  his  request." 

Aladdin  retired  to  his  own  apartment  and  sum- 
moned the  genie  of  the  lamp,  and  required  him  to 
prepare  and  present  the  gift  immediately,  before  the 
sultan  closed  his  morning  audience,  according  to  the 
terms  in  which  it  had  been  prescribed.  The  genie 
professed  his  obedience  to  the  owner  of  the  lamp, 
and  disappeared.  Within  a  very  short  time,  a  train 
of  forty  black  slaves,  led  by  the  same  number  of 
white  slaves,  appeared  opposite  the  house  in  which 
Aladdin  lived.  Each  black  slave  carried  on  his  head 
a  basin  of  massy  gold,  full  of  pearls,  diamonds, 
rubies,  and  emeralds.  Aladdin  then  addressed  his 
mother :  "  Madam,  pray  lose  no  time ;  before  the  sul- 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     79 

tan  and  the  divan  rise,  I  would  have  you  return  to 
the  palace  with  this  present  as  the  dowry  demanded 
for  the  princess,  that  he  may  judge  by  my  diligence 
and  exactness  of  the  ardent  and  sincere  desire  I 
have  to  procure  myself  the  honour  of  this  alliance." 

As  soon  as  this  magnificent  procession,  with  Alad- 
din's mother  at  its  head,  had  begun  to  march  from 
Aladdin's  house,  the  whole  city  was  filled  with  the 
crowds  of  people  desirous  to  see  so  grand  a  sight. 
The  graceful  bearing,  elegant  form,  and  wonderful 
likeness  of  each  slave ;  their  grave  walk  at  an  equal 
distance  from  each  other,  the  lustre  of  their  jewelled 
girdles,  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  aigrettes  of  precious 
stones  in  their  turbans,  excited  the  greatest  admira- 
tion in  the  spectators.  As  they  had  to  pass  through 
several  streets  to  the  palace,  the  whole  length  of  the 
way  was  lined  with  files  of  spectators.  Nothing,  in- 
deed, was  ever  seen  so  beautiful  and  brilliant  in  the 
sultan's  palace,  and  the  richest  robes  of  the  emirs  of 
his  court  were  not  to  be  compared  to  the  costly 
dresses  of  these  slaves,  whom  they  supposed  to  be 
kings. 

As  the  sultan,  who  had  been  informed  of  their  ap- 
proach, had  given  orders  for  them  to  be  admitted, 
they  met  with  no  obstacle,  but  went  into  the  divan  in 
regular  order,  one  part  turning  to  the  right  and  the 
other  to  the  left.  After  they  were  all  entered,  and 
had  formed  a  semicircle  before  the  sultan's  throne, 
the  black  slaves  laid  the  golden  trays  on  the  carpet, 
prostrated  themselves,  touching  the  carpet  with  their 
foreheads,  and  at  the  same  time  the  white  slaves 
did  the  same.     When  they  rose,  the  black  slaves  un- 


8o       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

covered  the  trays,  and  then  all  stood  with  their  arms 
crossed  over  their  breasts. 

In  the  mean  time,  Aladdin's  mother  advanced  to 
the  foot  of  the  throne,  and  having  prostrated  herself, 
said  to  the  sultan,  "  Sire,  my  son  knows  this  pres- 
ent is  much  below  the  notice  of  Princess  Buddir  al 
Buddoor;  but  hopes,  nevertheless,  that  your  majesty 
will  accept  of  it,  and  make  it  agreeable  to  the  prin- 
cess, and  with  the  greater  confidence  since  he  has 
endeavoured  to  conform  to  the  conditions  you  were 
pleased  to  impose." 

The  sultan,  overpowered  at  the  sight  of  such  more 
than  royal  magnificence,  replied  without  hesitation 
to  the  words  of  Aladdin's  mother :  "  Go  and  tell  your 
son  that  I  wait  with  open  arms  to  embrace  him ;  and 
the  more  haste  he  makes  to  come  and  receive  the 
princess  my  daughter  from  my  hands,  the  greater 
pleasure  he  will  do  me."  As  soon  as  Aladdin's 
mother  had  retired,  the  sultan  put  an  end  to  the 
audience;  and  rising  from  his  throne  ordered  that 
the  princess's  attendants  should  come  and  carry  the 
trays  into  their  mistress's  apartment,  whither  he 
went  himself  to  examine  them  with  her  at  his  leisure. 
The  fourscore  slaves  were  conducted  into  the  pal- 
ace ;  and  the  sultan,  telling  the  princess  of  their  mag- 
nificent apparel,  ordered  them  to  be  brought  before 
her  apartment,  that  she  might  see  through  the  lat- 
tices he  had  not  exaggerated  in  his  account  of  them. 

In  the  meantime  Aladdin's  mother  reached  home, 
and  showed  in  her  air  and  countenance  the  good 
news  she  brought  to  her  son.  "  My  son,"  said  she, 
"  you  may  rejoice  you  are  arrived  at  the  height  of 
your  desires.     The  sultan  has  declared  that  you  shall 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     8i 

marry  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor.     He  waits 
for  you  with  impatience." 

Aladdin,  enraptured  with  this  news,  made  his 
mother  very  Httle  reply,  but  retired  to  his  chamber. 
There  he  rubbed  his  lamp,  and  the  obedient  genie 
appeared.  "  Genie,"  said  Aladdin,  ''  convey  me  at 
once  to  a  bath,  and  supply  me  with  the  richest  and 
most  magnificent  robe  ever  worn  by  a  monarch." 
No  sooner  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth  than  the 
genie  rendered  him,  as  well  as  himself,  invisible, 
and  transported  him  into  a  bath  of  the  finest  marble 
of  all  sorts  of  colours ;  where  he  was  undressed, 
without  seeing  by  whom,  in  a  magnificent  and  spa- 
cious hall.  He  was  then  well  rubbed  and  washed 
with  various  scented  waters.  After  he  had  passed 
through  several  degrees  of  heat,  he  came  out  quite 
a  different  man  from  what  he  was  before.  His  skin 
was  clear  as  that  of  a  child,  his  body  lightsome  and 
free;  and  when  he  returned  into  the  hall,  he  found, 
instead  of  his  own  poor  raiment,  a  robe,  the  mag- 
nificence of  which  astonished  him.  The  genie  helped 
him  to  dress,  and  when  he  had  done,  transported  him 
back  to  his  own  chamber,  where  he  asked  him  if 
he  had  any  other  commands.  "  Yes,"  answered 
Aladdin,  "  bring  me  a  charger  that  surpasses  in 
beauty  and  goodness  the  best  in  the  sultan's  stables  ; 
with  a  saddle,  bridle,  and  other  caparisons  to  cor- 
respond with  his  value.  Furnish  also  twenty  slaves, 
as  richly  clothed  as  those  who  carried  the  present  to 
the  sultan,  to  walk  by  my  side  and  follow  me,  and 
twenty  more  to  go  before  me  in  two  ranks.  Besides 
these,  bring  my  mother  six  women  slaves  to  attend 
her,  as  richly  dressed  at  least  as  any  of  the  Princess 


82       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Buddir  al  Buddoor's,  each  carrying  a  complete  dress 
fit  for  any  sultaness.  I  want  also  ten  thousand 
pieces  of  gold  in  ten  purses ;  go,  and  make  haste." 

As  soon  as  Aladdin  had  given  these  orders,  the 
genie  disappeared,  but  presently  returned  with  the 
horse,  the  forty  slaves,  ten  of  whom  carried  each 
a  purse  containing  ten  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  and 
six  women  slaves,  each  carrying  on  her  head  a 
different  dress  for  Aladdin's  mother,  wrapt  up  in 
a  piece  of  silver  tissue,  and  presented  them  all  to 
Aladdin. 

He  presented  the  six  women  slaves  to  his  mother, 
telling  her  they  were  her  slaves,  and  that  the  dresses 
they  had  brought  were  for  her  use.  Of  the  ten 
purses  Aladdin  took  four,  which  he  gave  to  his 
mother,  telling  her,  those  were  to  supply  her  with 
necessaries ;  the  other  six  he  left  in  the  hands  of  the 
slaves  who  brought  them,  with  an  order  to  throw 
them  by  handfuls  among  the  people  as  they  went  to 
the  sultan's  palace.  The  six  slaves  who  carried  the 
purses  he  ordered  likewise  to  march  before  him, 
three  on  the  right  hand  and  three  on  the  left. 

When  Aladdin  had  thus  prepared  himself  for  his 
first  interview  with  the  sultan,  he  dismissed  the 
genie,  and  immediately  mounting  his  charger,  began 
his  march,  and  though  he  never  was  on  horseback 
before,  appeared  with  a  grace  the  most  experienced 
horseman  might  envy.  The  innumerable  concourse 
of  people  through  whom  he  passed  made  the  air  echo 
with  their  acclamations,  especially  every  time  the  six 
slaves  who  carried  the  purses  threw  handfuls  of  gold 
among  the  populace. 

On  Aladdin's  arrival  at  the  palace,  the  sultan  was 


Siory  of  Aloddin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     83 

surprised  to  find  him  more  richly  and  magnificently 
robed  than  he  had  ever  been  himself,  and  was  im- 
pressed with  his  good  looks  and  dignity  of  manner, 
which  were  so  dififerent  from  what  he  expected  in 
the  son  of  one  so  humble  as  Aladdin's  mother.  He 
embraced  him  with  all  the  demonstrations  of  joy, 
and  when  he  would  have  fallen  at  his  feet,  held  him 
by  the  hand,  and  made  him  sit  near  his  throne.  He 
shortly  after  led  him  amidst  the  sounds  of  trumpets, 
hautboys,  and  all  kinds  of  music,  to  a  magnificent 
entertainment,  at  which  the  sultan  and  Aladdin  ate 
by  themselves,  and  the  great  lords  of  the  court, 
according  to  their  rank  and  dignity,  sat  at  different 
tables.  After  the  feast,  the  sultan  sent  for  the  chief 
cadi,  and  commanded  him  to  draw  up  a  contract  of 
marriage  between  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor 
and  Aladdin.  When  the  contract  had  been  drawn, 
the  sultan  asked  Aladdin  if  he  would  stay  in  the  pal- 
ace and  complete  the  ceremonies  of  the  marriage 
that  day.  ''  Sire,"  said  Aladdin,  ''  though  great  is 
my  impatience  to  enter  on  the  honour  granted  me  by 
your  majesty,  yet  I  beg  you  to  permit  me  first  to 
build  a  palace  worthy  to  receive  the  princess  your 
daughter.  I  pray  you  to  grant  me  sufficient  ground 
near  your  palace,  and  I  will  have  it  completed  with 
the  utmost  expedition."  The  sultan  granted  Alad- 
din his  request,  and  again  embraced  him.  After 
which  he  took  his  leave  with  as  much  politeness  as  if 
he  had  been  bred  up  and  had  always  lived  at  court. 

Aladdin  returned  home  in  the  order  he  had  come, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  people,  who  wished 
him  all  happiness  and  prosperity.  As  soon  as  he  dis- 
mounted, he  retired  to  his  own  chamber,  took  the 


84       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

lamp,  and  summoned  the  genie  as  usual,  who  pro- 
fessed his  allegiance.  "  Genie,"  said  Aladdin,  "  build 
me  a  palace  fit  to  receive  the  Princess  Buddir  al 
Buddoor.  Let  its  materials  be  made  of  nothing  less 
than  porphyry,  jasper,  agate,  lapis  lazuli,  and  the  fin- 
est marble.  Let  its  walls  be  massive  gold  and  silver 
bricks  laid  alternately.  Let  each  front  contain  six 
windows,  and  let  the  lattices  of  these  (except  one, 
which  must  be  left  unfinished)  be  enriched  with 
diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds,  so  that  they  shall 
exceed  everything  of  the  kind  ever  seen  in  the 
world.  Let  there  be  an  inner  and  outer  court  in 
front  of  the  palace,  and  a  spacious  garden ;  but  above 
all  things,  provide  a  safe  treasure-house,  and  fill  it 
with  gold  and  silver.  Let  there  be  also  kitchens  and 
storehouses,  stables  full  of  the  finest  horses,  with 
their  equerries  and  grooms,  and  hunting  equipage, 
officers,  attendants,  and  slaves,  both  men  and 
women,  to  form  a  retinue  for  the  princess  and  my- 
self.    Go  and  execute  my  wishes." 

When  Aladdin  gave  these  commands  to  the  genie, 
the  sun  was  set.  The  next  morning  at  daybreak  the 
genie  presented  himself,  and,  having  obtained  Alad- 
din's consent,  transported  him  in  a  moment  to  the 
palace  he  had  made.  The  genie  led  him  through  all 
the  apartments,  where  he  found  officers  and  slaves, 
habited  according  to  their  rank  and  the  services  to 
which  they  were  appointed.  The  genie  then  showed 
him  the  treasury,  which  was  opened  by  a  treasurer, 
where  Aladdin  saw  large  vases  of  dififerent  sizes, 
piled  up  to  the  top  with  money,  ranged  all  round  the 
chamber.  The  genie  thence  led  him  to  the  stables, 
where  were  some  of  the  finest  horses  in  the  world, 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or.  The  Wonderful  Lamp     85 

and  the  grooms  busy  in  dressing  them ;  from  thence 
they  went  to  the  storehouses,  which  were  filled  with 
all  things  necessary,  both  for  food  and  ornament. 

When  Aladdin  had  examined  every  portion  of  the 
palace,  and  particularly  the  hall  with  the  four-and- 
twenty  windows,  and  found  it  far  to  exceed  his 
fondest  expectations,  he  said,  "  Genie,  there  is  one 
thing  wanting,  a  fine  carpet  for  the  princess  to  walk 
upon  from  the  sultan's  palace  to  mine.  Lay  one 
down  immediately."  The  genie  disappeared,  and 
Aladdin  saw  what  he  desired  executed  in  an  instant. 
The  genie  then  returned,  and  carried  him  to  his  own 
home. 

When  the  sultan's  porters  came  to  open  the  gates, 
they  were  amazed  to  find  what  had  been  an  un- 
occupied garden  filled  up  with  a  magnificent  palace, 
and  a  splendid  carpet  extending  to  it  all  the  way 
from  the  sultan's  palace.  They  told  the  strange  tid- 
ings to  the  grand  vizier,  who  informed  the  sultan, 
who  exclaimed,  ''  It  must  be  Aladdin's  palace,  which 
I  gave  him  leave  to  build  for  my  daughter.  He  has 
wished  to  surprise  us,  and  let  us  see  what  wonders 
can  be  done  in  only  one  night." 

Aladdin,  on  his  being  conveyed  by  the  genie  to  his 
own  home,  requested  his  mother  to  go  to  the 
Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor,  and  tell  her  that  the 
palace  would  be  ready  for  her  reception  in  the 
evening.  She  went,  attended  by  her  women  slaves, 
in  the  same  order  as  on  the  preceding  day.  Shortly 
after  her  arrival  at  the  princess's  apartment,  the 
sultan  himself  came  in,  and  was  surprised  to  find 
her,  whom  he  knew  as  his  suppliant  at  his  divan  in 
such    humble  guise,  to    be    now    more    richly  and 


86       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

sumptuously  attired  than  his  own  daughter.  This 
gave  him  a  higher  opinion  of  Aladdin,  who  took 
such  care  of  his  mother,  and  made  her  share  his 
wealth  and  honours.  Shortly  after  her  departure, 
Aladdin,  mounting  his  horse,  and  attended  by  his 
retinue  of  magnificent  attendants,  left  his  paternal 
home  forever,  and  went  to  the  palace  in  the  same 
pomp  as  on  the  day  before.  Nor  did  he  forget  to 
take  with  him  the  Wonderful  Lamp,  to  which  he 
owed  all  his  good  fortune,  nor  to  wear  the  Ring 
which  was  given  him  as  a  talisman.  The  sultan  en- 
tertained Aladdin  with  the  utmost  magnificence,  and 
at  night,  on  the  conclusion  of  the  marriage  cere- 
monies, the  princess  took  leave  of  the  sultan  her 
father.  Bands  of  music  led  the  procession,  followed 
by  a  hundred  state  ushers,  and  the  like  number  of 
black  mutes,  in  two  files,  with  their  officers  at  their 
head.  Four  hundred  of  the  sultan's  young  pages 
carried  flambeaux  on  each  side,  which,  together  with 
the  illuminations  of  the  sultan's  and  Aladdin's  pal- 
aces, made  it  as  light  as  day.  In  this  order  the 
princess,  conveyed  in  her  litter,  and  accompanied 
also  by  Aladdin's  mother,  carried  in  a  superb  litter 
and  attended  by  her  women  slaves,  proceeded  on  the 
carpet  which  was  spread  from  the  sultan's  palace  to 
that  of  Aladdin.  On  her  arrival  Aladdin  was  ready 
to  receive  her  at  the  entrance,  and  led  her  into  a 
large  hall,  illuminated  with  an  infinite  number  of 
Avax  candles,  where  a  noble  feast  was  served  up. 
The  dishes  were  of  massy  gold,  and  contained  the 
most  delicate  viands.  The  vases,  basins,  and  gob- 
lets were  gold  also,  and  of  exquisite  workmanship, 
and  all  the  other  ornaments  and  embellishments  of 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     87 

the  hall  were  answerable  to  this  display.  The 
princess,  dazzled  to  see  so  much  riches  collected  in 
one  place,  said  to  Aladdin,  ''  I  thought,  prince,  that 
nothing  in  the  world  was  so  beautiful  as  the  sultan 
my  father's  palace,  but  the  sight  of  this  hall  alone 
is  sufficient  to  show  I  was  deceived." 

When  the  supper  was  ended,  there  entered  a  com- 
pany of  female  dancers,  who  performed,  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  country,  singing  at  the  same 
time  verses  in  praise  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom. 
About  midnight  Aladdin's  mother  conducted  the 
bride  to  the  nuptial  apartment,  and  he  soon  after 
retired. 

The  next  morning  the  attendants  of  Aladdin  pre- 
sented themselves  to  dress  him,  and  brought  him 
another  habit,  as  rich  and  magnificent  as  that  worn 
the  day  before.  He  then  ordered  one  of  the  horses 
to  be  got  ready,  mounted  him,  and  went  in  the  midst 
of  a  large  troop  of  slaves  to  the  sultan's  palace  to 
entreat  him  to  take  a  repast  in  the  princess's  palace, 
attended  by  his  grand  vizier  and  all  the  lords  of  his 
court.  The  sultan  consented  with  pleasure,  rose  up 
immediately,  and,  preceded  by  the  principal  officers 
of  his  palace,  and  followed  by  all  the  great  lords  of 
his  court,  accompanied  Aladdin. 

The  nearer  the  sultan  approached  Aladdin's  pal- 
ace, the  more  he  was  struck  with  its  beauty ;  but 
when  he  entered  it,  came  into  the  hall,  and  saw  the 
windows,  enriched  with  diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds, 
all  large  perfect  stones,  he  was  completely  surprised, 
and  said  to  his  son-in-law,  "  This  palace  is  one  of 
the  wonders  of  the  world ;  for  where  in  all  the  world 
besides  shall  we  find  walls  built  of  massy  gold  and 


88       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

silver,  and  diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds  compos- 
ing the  windows?  But  what  most  surprises  me  is, 
that  a  hall  of  this  magnificence  should  be  left  with 
one  of  its  windows  incomplete  and  unfinished.'* 
"  Sire,"  answered  Aladdin,  *'  the  omission  was  by 
design,  since  I  wished  that  you  should  have  the 
glory  of  finishing  this  hall."  "  I  take  your  intention 
kindly,"  said  the  sultan,  "  and  will  give  orders  about 
it  immediately." 

After  the  sultan  had  finished  this  magnificent  en- 
tertainment, provided  for  him  and  for  his  court  by 
Aladdin,  he  was  informed  that  the  jewellers  and 
goldsmiths  attended ;  upon  which  he  returned  to  the 
hall,  and  showed  them  the  window  which  was  un- 
finished. ''  I  sent  for  you,"  said  he,  '*  to  fit  up  this 
window  in  as  great  perfection  as  the  rest.  Examine 
them  well,  and  make  all  the  dispatch  you  can." 

The  jewellers  and  goldsmiths  examined  the  three- 
and-twenty  windows  with  great  attention,  and  after 
they  had  consulted  together,  to  know  what  each 
could  furnish,  they  returned,  and  presented  them- 
selves before  the  sultan,  whose  principal  jeweller, 
undertaking  to  speak  for  the  rest,  said,  "  Sire,  we 
are  all  willing  to  exert  our  utmost  care  and  industry 
to  obey  you;  but  among  us  all  we  cannot  furnish 
jewels  enough  for  so  great  a  work."  *'  I  have  more 
than  are  necessary,"  said  the  sultan ;  "  come  to  my 
palace,  and  you  shall  choose  what  may  answer  your 
purpose." 

When  the  sultan  returned  to  his  palace,  he  ordered 
his  jewels  to  be  brought  out,  and  the  jewellers  took 
a  great  quantity,  particularly  those  Aladdin  had 
made  him  a  present  of,  which  they  soon  used,  with- 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     89 

out  making  any  great  advance  in  their  work.  They 
came  again  several  times  for  more,  and  in  a  month's 
time  had  not  finished  half  their  work.  In  short, 
they  used  all  the  jewels  the  sultan  had,  and  bor- 
rowed of  the  vizier,  but  yet  the  work  was  not  half 
done. 

Aladdin,  who  knew  that  all  the  sultan's  endeav- 
ours to  make  this  window  like  the  rest  were  in  vain, 
sent  for  the  jewellers  and  goldsmiths,  and  not  only 
commanded  them  to  desist  from  their  work,  but 
ordered  them  to  undo  what  they  had  begun,  and  to 
carry  all  their  jewels  back  to  the  sultan  and  to  the 
vizier.  They  undid  in  a  few  hours  what  they  had 
been  six  weeks  about,  and  retired,  leaving  Aladdin 
alone  in  the  hall.  He  took  the  lamp,  which  he  car- 
ried about  him,  rubbed  it,  and  presently  the  genie 
appeared.  "  Genie,"  said  Aladdin,  ''  I  ordered  thee 
to  leave  one  of  the  four-and-twenty  windows  of  this 
hall  imperfect,  and  thou  hast  executed  my  com- 
mands punctually;  now  I  would  have  thee  make  it 
like  the  rest."  The  genie  immediately  disappeared. 
Aladdin  went  out  of  the  hall,  and  returning  soon 
after,  found  the  window,  as  he  wished  it  to  be,  like 
the  others. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  jewellers  and  goldsmiths 
repaired  to  the  palace,  and  were  introduced  into  the 
sultan's  presence;  where  the  chief  jeweller  presented 
the  precious  stones  which  he  had  brought  back.  The 
sultan  asked  them  if  Aladdin  had  given  them  any 
reason  for  so  doing,  and  they  answering  that  he  had 
given  them  none,  he  ordered  a  horse  to  be  brought, 
which  he  mounted,  and  rode  to  his  son-in-law's  pal- 
ace, with  some  few  attendants  on  foot,  to  inquire 


go       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

why  he  had  ordered  the  completion  of  the  window 
to  be  stopped.  Aladdin  met  him  at  the  gate,  and 
without  giving  any  reply  to  his  inquiries  conducted 
him  to  the  grand  saloon,  where  the  sultan,  to  his 
great  surprise,  found  the  window,  which  was  left 
imperfect,  to  correspond  exactly  with  the  others. 
He  fancied  at  first  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  ex- 
amined the  two  windows  on  each  side,  and  after- 
ward all  the  four-and-twenty ;  but  when  he  was  con- 
vinced that  the  window  which  several  workmen  had 
been  so  long  about  was  finished  in  so  short  a  time, 
he  embraced  Aladdin  and  kissed  him  between  his 
eyes.  "  My  son,"  said  he,  "  what  a  man  you  are  to 
do  such  surprising  things  always  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye !  there  is  not  your  fellow  in  the  world ;  the 
more  I  know,  the  more  I  admire  you." 

The  sultan  returned  to  the  palace,  and  after  this 
went  frequently  to  the  window  to  contemplate  and 
admire  the  wonderful  palace  of  his  son-in-law. 

Aladdin  did  not  confine  himself  in  his  palace,  but 
went  with  much  state,  sometimes  to  one  mosque, 
and  sometimes  to  another,  to  prayers,  or  to  visit  the 
grand  vizier  or  the  principal  lords  of  the  court. 
Every  time  he  went  out,  he  caused  two  slaves,  who 
walked  by  the  side  of  his  horse,  to  throw  handfuls 
of  money  among  the  people  as  he  passed  through 
the  streets  and  squares.  This  generosity  gained  him 
the  love  and  blessings  of  the  people,  and  it  was  com- 
mon for  them  to  swear  by  his  head.  Thus  Aladdin, 
while  he  paid  all  respect  to  the  sultan,  won  by  his 
affable  behaviour  and  liberality  the  afifections  of  the 
people. 

Aladdin  had  conducted  himself  in  this  manner 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     91 

several  years,  when  the  African  magician,  who  had 
for  some  years  dismissed  him  from  his  recollection, 
determined  to  inform  himself  with  certainty  whether 
he  perished,  as  he  supposed,  in  the  subterranean 
cave  or  not.  After  he  had  resorted  to  a  long  course 
of  magic  ceremonies,  and  had  formed  a  horoscope 
by  which  to  ascertain  Aladdin's  fate,  what  was  his 
surprise  to  find  the  appearances  to  declare  that 
Aladdin,  instead  of  dying  in  the  cave,  had  made  his 
escape,  and  Vv^as  living  in  royal  splendour,  by  the  aid 
of  the  genie  of  the  wonderful  lamp ! 

On  the  very  next  day,  the  magician  set  out  and 
travelled  with  the  utmost  haste  to  the  capital  of 
China,  where,  on  his  arrival,  he  took  up  his  lodgings 
in  a  khan. 

He  then  quickly  learnt  about  the  wealth,  char- 
ities, happiness,  and  splendid  palace  of  Prince  Alad- 
din. Directly  he  saw  the  wonderful  fabric,  he  knew 
that  none  but  the  genies,  the  slaves  of  the  lamp, 
could  have  performed  such  wonders,  and,  piqued  to 
the  quick  at  Aladdin's  high  estate,  he  returned  to 
the  khan. 

On  his  return  he  had  recourse  to  an  operation  of 
geomancy  to  find  out  where  the  lamp  was — whether 
Aladdin  carried  it  about  with  him,  or  where  he  left 
it.  The  result  of  his  consultation  informed  him,  to 
his  great  joy,  that  the  lamp  was  in  the  palace. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  rubbing  his  hands  in  glee,  "  I  shall 
have  the  lamp,  and  I  shall  make  Aladdin  return  to 
his  original  mean  condition." 

The  next  day  the  magician  learnt,  from  the  chief 
superintendent  of  the  khan  where  he  lodged,  that 
Aladdin  had  gone  on  a  hunting  expedition,  which 


92       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knoiv 

was  to  last  for  eight  days,  of  which  only  three  had 
expired.  The  magician  wanted  to  know  no  more. 
He  resolved  at  once  on  his  plans.  He  went  to  a 
coppersmith,  and  asked  for  a  dozen  copper  lamps: 
the  master  of  the  shop  told  him  he  had  not  so  many 
by  him,  but  if  he  would  have  patience  till  the  next 
day,  he  would  have  them  ready.  The  magician  ap- 
pointed his  time,  and  desired  him  to  take  care  that 
they  should  be  handsome  and  well  polished. 

The  next  day  the  magician  called  for  the  twelve 
lamps,  paid  the  man  his  full  price,  put  them  into  a 
basket  hanging  on  his  arm,  and  went  directly  to 
Aladdin's  palace.  As  he  approached,  he  began  cry- 
ing, "  Who  will  exchange  old  lamps  for  new  ones  ?  " 
As  he  went  along,  a  crowd  of  children  collected, 
who  hooted,  and  thought  him,  as  did  all  who 
chanced  to  be  passing  by,  a  madman  or  a  fool,  to 
offer  to  change  new  lamps  for  old  ones. 

The  African  magician  regarded  not  their  scoffs, 
hootings,  or  all  they  could  say  to  him,  but  still  con- 
tinued crying,  "  Who  will  change  old  lamps  for  new 
ones  ?  "  He  repeated  this  so  often,  walking  back- 
ward and  forward  in  front  of  the  palace,  that  the 
princess,  who  was  then  in  the  hall  with  the  four- 
and-twenty  windows,  hearing  a  man  cry  something, 
and  seeing  a  great  mob  crowding  about  him,  sent 
one  of  her  women  slaves  to  know  what  he  cried 

The  slave  returned,  laughing  so  heartily  that  the 
princess  rebuked  her.  ''  Madam,"  answered  the 
slave,  laughing  still,  "  who  can  forbear  laughing,  to 
see  an  old  man  with  a  basket  on  his  arm,  full  of  fine 
new  lamps,  asking  to  change  them  for  old  ones  ?  the 
children  and  mob  crowding  about  him,  so  that  he 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     93 

can  hardly  stir,  make  all  the  noise  they  can  in  deri- 
sion of  him." 

Another  female  slave  hearing  this,  said,  ''  Now 
you  speak  of  lamps,  I  know  not  whether  the  princess 
may  have  observed  it,  but  there  is  an  old  one  upon 
a  shelf  of  the  Prince  Aladdin's  robing  room,  and 
whoever  owns  it  will  not  be  sorry  to  find  a  new 
one  in  its  stead.  If  the  princess  chooses,  she  may 
have  the  pleasure  of  trying  if  this  old  man  is  so 
silly  as  to  give  a  new  lamp  for  an  old  one,  without 
taking  anything  for  the  exchange." 

The  princess,  who  knew  not  the  value  of  this 
lamp,  and  the  interest  that  Aladdin  had  to  keep  it 
safe,  entered  into  the  pleasantry,  and  commanded  a 
slave  to  take  it  and  make  the  exchange.  The  slave 
obeyed,  went  out  of  the  hall,  and  no  sooner  got  to 
the  palace  gates  than  he  saw  the  African  magician, 
called  to  him,  and  showing  him  the  old  lamp,  said, 
"  Give  me  a  new  lamp  for  this." 

The  magician  never  doubted  but  this  was  the 
lamp  he  wanted.  There  could  be  no  other  such  in 
this  palace,  where  every  utensil  was  gold  or  silver. 
He  snatched  it  eagerly  out  of  the  slave's  hand,  and 
thrusting  it  as  far  as  he  could  into  his  breast,  offered 
him  his  basket,  and  bade  him  choose  which  he  liked 
best.  The  slave  picked  out  one  and  carried  it  to  the 
princess;  but  the  change  was  no  sooner  made  than 
the  place  rung  with  the  shouts  of  the  children,  de- 
riding the  magician's  folly. 

The  African  magician  stayed  no  longer  near  the 
palace,  nor  cried  any  more,  ''New  lamps  for  old 
ones,"  but  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  his  khan. 


94       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

His  end  was  answered,  and  by  his  silence  he  got  rid 
of  the  children  and  the  mob. 

As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the  two  palaces, 
he  hastened  down  the  least-frequented  streets;  and 
having  no  more  occasion  for  his  lamps  or  basket, 
set  all  down  in  a  spot  where  nobody  saw  him ;  then 
going  down  another  street  or  two,  he  walked  till 
he  came  to  one  of  the  city  gates,  and  pursuing  his 
way  through  the  suburbs,  which  were  very  exten- 
sive, at  length  reached  a  lonely  spot,  where  he 
stopped  till  the  darkness  of  the  night,  as  the  most 
suitable  time  for  the  design  he  had  in  contemplation. 
When  it  became  quite  dark,  he  pulled  the  lamp  out 
of  his  breast  and  rubbed  it.  At  that  summons  the 
genie  appeared,  and  said,  "  What  wouldst  thou 
have  ?  I  am  ready  to  obey  thee  as  thy  slave,  and  the 
slave  of  all  those  who  have  that  lamp  in  their  hands ; 
both  I  and  the  other  slaves  of  the  lamp."  *'  I  com- 
mand thee,"  replied  the  magician,  "  to  transport  me 
immediately,  and  the  palace  which  thou  and  the 
other  slaves  of  the  lamp  have  built  in  this  city,  with 
all  the  people  in  it,  to  Africa."  The  genie  made  no 
reply,  but  with  the  assistance  of  the  other  genies, 
the  slaves  of  the  lamp,  immediately  transported  him 
and  the  palace,  entire,  to  the  spot  whither  he  had 
been  desired  to  convey  it. 

Early  the  next  morning,  when  the  sultan,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  went  to  contemplate  and  admire  Alad- 
din's place,  his  amazement  was  unbounded  to  find 
that  it  could  nowhere  be  seen.  He  could  not  com- 
prehend how  so  large  a  palace  which  he  had  seen 
plainly  every  day  for  some  years,  should  vanish  so 
soon,  and  not  leave  the  least  remains  behind.     In 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     95 

his  perplexity  he  ordered  the  grand  vizier  to  be  sent 
for  with  expedition. 

The  grand  vizier,  who,  in  secret,  bore  no  good 
will  to  Aladdin,  intimated  his  suspicion  that  the  pal- 
ace was  built  by  magic,  and  that  Aladdin  had  made 
his  hunting  excursion  an  excuse  for  the  removal  of 
his  palace  with  the  same  suddenness  with  which  it 
had  been  erected.  He  induced  the  sultan  to  send 
a  detachment  of  his  guard,  and  to  have  Aladdin 
seized  as  a  prisoner  of  state.  On  his  son-in-law  be- 
ing brought  before  him,  he  would  not  hear  a  word 
from  him,  but  ordered  him  to  be  put  to  death.  The 
decree  caused  so  much  discontent  among  the  people, 
whose  affection  Aladdin  had  secured  by  his  largesses 
and  charities,  that  the  sultan,  fearful  of  an  insur- 
rection, was  obliged  to  grant  him  his  life.  When 
Aladdin  found  himself  at  liberty,  he  again  addressed 
the  sultan :  '*  Sire,  I  pray  you  to  let  me  know  the 
crime  by  which  I  have  thus  lost  the  favour  of  thy 
countenance."  "  Your  crime !  "  answered  the  sultan, 
"  wretched  man !  do  you  not  know  it  ?  Follow  me, 
and  I  will  show  you."  The  sultan  then  took  Aladdin 
into  the  apartment  from  whence  he  was  wont  to  look 
at  and  admire  his  palace,  and  said,  *'  You  ought  to 
know  where  your  palace  stood ;  look,  mind,  and  tell 
me  what^has  become  of  it."  Aladdin  did  so,  and  be- 
ing utterly  amazed  at  the  loss  of  his  palace,  was 
speechless.  At  last  recovering  himself,  he  said,  "  It 
is  true,  I  do  not  see  the  palace.  It  is  vanished ;  but 
I  had  no  concern  in  its  removal.  I  beg  you  to  give 
me  forty  days,  and  if  in  that  time  I  cannot  restore  it, 
I  will  offer  my  head  to  be  disposed  of  at  your  pleas- 
ure."   ''  I  give  you  the  time  you  ask,  but  at  the  end 


96       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

of  the  forty  days,  forget  not  to  present  yourself  be- 
fore me." 

Aladdin  went  out  of  the  sultan's  palace  in  a  condi- 
tion of  exceeding  humiliation.  The  lords  who  had 
courted  him  in  the  days  of  his  splendour,  now  de- 
clined to  have  any  communication  with  him.  For 
three  days  he  wandered  about  the  city,  exciting  the 
wonder  and  compassion  of  the  multitude  by  asking 
everybody  he  met  if  they  had  seen  his  palace,  or 
could  tell  him  anything  of  it.  On  the  third  day  he 
wandered  into  the  country,  and  as  he  was  approach- 
ing a  river,  he  fell  down  the  bank  with  so  much  vio- 
lence that  he  rubbed  the  ring  which  the  magician 
had  given  him  so  hard  by  holding  on  the  rock  to 
save  himself,  that  immediately  the  same  genie  ap- 
peared whom  he  had  seen  in  the  cave  where  the  ma- 
gician had  left  him.  "  What  wouldst  thou  have?  " 
said  the  genie,  "  I  am  ready  to  obey  thee  as  thy 
slave,  and  the  slave  of  all  those  that  have  that  ring 
on  their  finger;  both  I  and  the  other  slaves  of  the 
ring." 

Aladdin,  agreeably  surprised  at  an  offer  of  help 
so  little  expected,  replied,  "  Genie,  show  me  where 
the  palace  I  caused  to  be  built  now  stands,  or  trans- 
port it  back  where  it  first  stood."  "  Your  com- 
mand," answered  the  genie,  ''  is  not  wholly  in  my 
power;  I  am  only  the  slave  of  the  ring,  and  not  of 
the  lamp."  "  I  command  thee,  then,"  replied  Alad- 
din, *'  by  the  power  of  the  ring,  to  transport  me  to 
the  spot  where  my  palace  stands,  in  what  part  of  the 
world  soever  it  may  be."  These  words  were  no 
sooner  out  of  his  mouth,  than  the  genie  transported 
him  into  Africa,  to  the  midst  of  a  large  plain,  where 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     97 

his  palace  stood,  at  no  great  distance  from  a  city, 
and  placing  him  exactly  under  the  window  of  the 
princess's  apartment,  left  him. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  shortly  after  Aladdin  had 
been  transported  by  the  slave  of  the  ring  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  his  palace,  that  one  of  the  attend- 
ants of  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor,  looking 
through  the  window,  perceived  him  and  instantly 
told  her  mistress.  The  princess,  who  could  not  be- 
lieve the  joyful  tidings,  hastened  herself  to  the  win- 
dow, and  seeing  Aladdin,  immediately  opened  it. 
The  noise  of  opening  the  window  made  Aladdin  turn 
his  head  that  way,  and  perceiving  the  princess,  he 
saluted  her  with  an  air  that  expressed  his  joy.  ''  To 
lose  no  time,"  said  she  to  him,  "  I  have  sent  to  have 
the  private  door  opened  for  you;  enter  and  come 
up." 

The  private  door,  which  was  just  under  the  prin- 
cess's apartment,  was  soon  opened,  and  Aladdin  con- 
ducted up  into  the  chamber.  It  is  impossible  to  ex- 
press the  joy  of  both  at  seeing  each  other,  after  so 
cruel  a  separation.  After  embracing  and  shedding 
tears  of  joy,  they  sat  down,  and  Aladdin  said,  "  I 
beg  of  you,  princess,  to  tell  me  what  is  become  of  an 
old  lamp  which  stood  upon  a  shelf  in  my  robing- 
chamber." 

''  Alas !  "  answered  the  princess,  "  I  was  afraid  our 
misfortune  might  be  owing  to  that  lamp ;  and  what 
grieves  me  most  is,  that  I  have  been  the  cause  of  it. 
I  was  foolish  enough  to  change  the  old  lamp  for  a 
new  one,  and  the  next  morning  I  found  myself  in 
this  unknown  country,  which  I  am  told  is  Africa." 

'*  Princess,"  said  Aladdin,  interrupting  her,  *'  you 


98       Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

have  explained  all  by  telling  me  we  are  in  Africa.  \ 
I  desire  you  only  to  tell  me  if  you  know  where  the 
old  lamp  now  is."  "  The  African  magician  carries  it 
carefully  wrapt  up  in  his  bosom,"  said  the  princes* ; 
''  and  this  I  can  assure  you,  because  he  pulled  it  out 
before  me,  and  showed  it  to  me  in  triumph." 

"  Princess,"  said  Aladdin,  "  I  think  I  have  found 
the  means  to  deliver  you  and  to  regain  possession  of 
the  lamp,  on  which  all  my  prosperity  depends ;  to 
execute  this  design  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  go  to 
the  town.  I  shall  return  by  noon,  and  will  then  tell 
you  what  must  be  done  by  you  to  insure  success.  In 
the  mean  time,  I  shall  disguise  myself,  and  beg  that 
the  private  door  may  be  opened  at  the  first  knock." 

When  Aladdin  was  out  of  the  palace,  he  looked 
round  him  on  all  sides,  and  perceiving  a  peasant 
going  into  the  country,  hastened  after  him ;  and 
when  he  had  overtaken  him,  made  a  proposal  to  him 
to  change  clothes,  which  the  man  agreed  to.  When 
they  had  made  the  exchange,  the  countryman  went 
about  his  business,  and  Aladdin  entered  the  neigh- 
bouring city.  After  traversing  several  streets,  he 
came  to  that  part  of  the  town  where  the  merchants 
and  artisans  had  their  particular  streets  according 
to  their  trades.  He  went  into  that  of  the  druggists ; 
and  entering  one  of  the  largest  and  best  furnished 
shops,  asked  the  druggist  if  he  had  a  certain  powder, 
which  he  named. 

The  druggist,  judging  Aladdin  by  his  habit  to  be 
very  poor,  told  him  he  had  it,  but  that  it  was  very 
dear ;  upon  which  Aladdin,  penetrating  his  thoughts, 
pulled  out  his  purse,  and  showing  him  some  gold, 
asked  for  half  a  dram  of  the  powder;  which  the 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp     99 

druggist  weighed  and  gave  him,  telHng  him  the 
price  was  a  piece  of  gold.  Aladdin  put  the  money 
into  his  hand,  and  hastened  to  the  palace,  which  he 
entered  at  once  by  the  private  door.  When  he  came 
into  the  princess's  apartments,  he  said  to  her,  ''  Prin- 
cess, you  must  take  your  part  in  the  scheme  which 
I  propose  for  our  deliverance.  You  must  overcome 
your  aversion  to  the  magician,  and  assume  a  most 
friendly  manner  toward  him,  and  ask  him  to  oblige 
you  by  partaking  of  an  entertainment  in  your  apart- 
ments. Before  he  leaves,  ask  him  to  exchange  cups 
with  you,  which  he,  gratified  at  the  honour  you  do 
him,  will  gladly  do,  when  you  must  give  him  the  cup 
containing  this  powder.  On  drinking  it  he  will  in- 
stantly fall  asleep,  and  we  will  obtain  the  lamp, 
whose  slaves  will  do  all  our  bidding,  and  restore  us 
and  the  palace  to  the  capital  of  China." 

The  princess  obeyed  to  the  utmost  her  husband's 
instructions.  She  assumed  a  look  of  pleasure  on 
the  next  visit  of  the  magician,  and  asked  him  to  an 
entertainment,  which  he  most  willingly  accepted.  At 
the  close  of  the  evening,  during  which  the  princess 
had  tried  all  she  could  to  please  him,  she  asked  him 
to  exchange  cups  with  her,  and  giving  the  signal, 
had  the  drugged  cup  brought  to  her,  which  she  gave 
to  the  magician.  He  drank  it  out  of  compliment  to 
the  princess  to  the  very  last  drop,  when  he  fell  back- 
ward lifeless  on  the  sofa. 

The  princess,  in  anticipation  of  the  success  of  her 
scheme,  had  so  placed  her  women  from  the  great 
hall  to  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  that  the  word  was  no 
sooner  given  that  the  African  magician  was  fallen 
backward,  than  the  door  was  opened,  and  Aladdin 


loo     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

admitted  to  the  hall.  The  princess  rose  from  her 
seat,  and  ran,  overjoyed,  to  embrace  him ;  but  he 
stopped  her,  and  said,  ''  Princess,  retire  to  your 
apartment;  and  let  me  be  left  alone,  while  I  en- 
deavour to  transport  you  back  to  China  as  speedily 
as  you  were  brought  from  thence." 

When  the  princess,  her  women,  and  slaves  were 
gone  out  of  the  hall,  Aladdin  shut  the  door,  and  go- 
ing directly  to  the  dead  body  of  the  magician,  opened 
his  vest,  took  out  the  lamp  which  was  carefully 
wrapped  up,  and  rubbing  it,  the  genie  immediately 
appeared.  *'  Genie,"  said  Aladdin,  "  I  command  thee 
to  transport  this  palace  instantly  to  the  place  from 
whence  it  was  brought  hither."  The  genie  bowed 
his  head  in  token  of  obedience,  and  disappeared.  Im- 
mediately the  palace  was  transported  into  China,  and 
its  removal  was  only  felt  by  two  little  shocks,  the  one 
when  it  was  lifted  up,  the  other  when  it  was  set 
down,  and  both  in  a  very  short  interval  of  time. 

On  the  morning  after  the  restoration  of  Aladdin's 
palace,  the  sultan  was  looking  out  of  his  window, 
and  mourning  over  the  fate  of  his  daughter,  when 
he  thought  that  he  saw  the  vacancy  created  by  the 
disappearance  of  the  palace  to  be  again  filled  up. 

On  looking  more  attentively,  he  was  convinced 
beyond  the  power  of  doubt  that  it  was  his  son-in- 
law's  palace.  Joy  and  gladness  succeeded  to  sorrow 
and  grief.  He  at  once  ordered  a  horse  to  be  saddled, 
which  he  mounted  that  instant,  thinking  he  could 
not  make  haste  enough  to  the  place. 

Aladdin  rose  that  morning  by  daybreak,  put  on 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  habits  his  wardrobe  af- 
forded, and  went  up  into  the  hall  of  twenty- four 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp  loi 

windows,  from  whence  he  perceived  the  sultan  ap- 
proaching, and  received  him  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
staircase,  helping  him  to  dismount. 

He  led  the  sultan  into  the  princess's  apartment. 
The  happy  father  embraced  her  with  tears  of  joy; 
and  the  princess,  on  her  side,  afforded  similar  testi- 
monies of  her  extreme  pleasure.  After  a  short  in- 
terval, devoted  to  mutual  explanations  of  all  that 
had  happened,  the  sultan  restored  Aladdin  to  his 
favour,  and  expressed  his  regret  for  the  apparent 
harshness  with  which  he  had  treated  him.  "  My 
son,"  said  he,  "  be  not  displeased  at  my  proceedings 
against  you ;  they  arose  from  my  paternal  love,  and 
therefore  you  ought  to  forgive  the  excesses  to  which 
it  hurried  me."  "  Sire,"  replied  Aladdin,  *'  I  have 
not  the  least  reason  to  complain  of  your  conduct, 
since  you  did  nothing  but  what  your  duty  required. 
This  infamous  magician,  the  basest  of  men,  was  the 
sole  cause  of  my  misfortune." 

The  African  magician,  who  was  thus  twice  foiled 
in  his  endeavour  to  ruin  Aladdin,  had  a  younger 
brother,  who  was  as  skilful  a  magician  as  himself, 
and  exceeded  him  in  wickedness  and  hatred  of  man- 
kind. By  mutual  agreement  they  communicated 
with  each  other  once  a  year,  however  widely  sepa- 
rate might  be  their  place  of  residence  from  each 
other.  The  younger  brother  not  having  received  as 
usual  his  annual  communication,  prepared  to  take  a 
horoscope  and  ascertain  his  brother's  proceedings. 
He,  as  well  as  his  brother,  always  carried  a  geoman- 
tic  square  instrument  about  him;  he  prepared  the 
sand,  cast  the  points,  and  drew  the  figures.  On  ex- 
amining the   planetary  crystal,   he   found  that  his 


I02     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

brother  was  no  longer  living,  but  had  been  poisoned ; 
and  by  another  observation,  that  he  was  in  the  capi- 
tal of  the  kingdom  of  China ;  also,  that  the  person 
who  had  poisoned  him  was  of  mean  birth,  though 
married  to  a  princess,  a  sultan's  daughter. 

When  the  magician  had  informed  himself  of  his 
brother's  fate,  he  resolved  immediately  to  revenge 
his  death,  and  at  once  departed  for  China;  where, 
after  crossing  plains,  rivers,  mountains,  deserts,  and 
a  long. tract  of  country  without  delay,  he  arrived 
after  incredible  fatigues.  When  he  came  to  the  capi- 
tal of  China,  he  took  a  lodging  at  a  khan.  His  magic 
art  soon  revealed  to  him  that  Aladdin  was  the  person 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  the  death  of  his  brother. 
He  had  heard,  too,  all  the  persons  of  repute  in  the 
city  talking  of  a  woman  called  Fatima,  who  was  re- 
tired from  the  world,  and  of  the  miracles  she 
wrought.  As  he  fancied  that  this  woman  might  be 
serviceable  to  him  in  the  project  he  had  conceived, 
he  made  more  minute  inquiries,  and  requested  to  be 
informed  more  particularly  who  that  holy  woman 
was,  and  what  sort  of  miracles  she  performed. 

''  What !  "  said  the  person  whom  he  addressed, 
"  have  you  never  seen  or  heard  of  her  ?  She  is  the 
admiration  of  the  whole  town,  for  her  fasting,  her 
austerities,  and  her  exemplary  life.  Except  Mon- 
days and  Fridays,  she  never  stirs  out  of  her  little 
cell ;  and  on  those  days  on  which  she  comes  into  the 
town  she  does  an  infinite  deal  of  good ;  for  there  is 
not  a  person  who  is  diseased  but  she  puts  her  hand 
on  them  and  cures  them." 

Having  ascertained  the  place  where  the  hermitage 
of  this  holy  woman  was,  the  magician  went  at  night, 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp  103 

and,  plunging  a  poniard  into  her  heart,  killed  this 
good  woman.  In  the  morning  he  dyed  his  face  of 
the  same  hue  as  hers,  and  arraying  himself  in  her 
garb,  taking  her  veil,  the  large  necklace  she  wore 
round  her  waist,  and  her  stick,  went  straight  to  the 
palace  of  Aladdin. 

As  soon  as  the  people  saw  the  holy  woman,  as 
they  imagined  him  to  be,  they  presently  gathered 
about  him  in  a  great  crowd.  Some  begged  his  bless- 
ing, others  kissed  his  hand,  and  others,  more  re- 
served, only  the  hem  of  his  garment ;  while  others, 
suffering  from  disease,  stooped  for  him  to  lay  his 
hands  upon  them;  which  he  did,  muttering  some 
words  in  form  of  prayer,  and,  in  short,  counterfeiting 
so  well,  that  everybody  took  him  for  the  holy  woman. 
He  came  at  last  to  the  square  before  Aladdin's  pal- 
ace. The  crowd  and  the  noise  were  so  great  that 
the  princess,  who  was  in  the  hall  of  four-and-twenty 
windows,  heard  it,  and  asked  what  was  the  matter. 
One  of  her  women  told  her  it  was  a  great  crowd  of 
people  collected  about  the  holy  woman  to  be  cured 
of  diseases  by  the  imposition  of  her  hands. 

The  princess,  who  had  long  heard  of  this  holy 
woman,  but  had  never  seen  her,  was  very  desirous  to 
have  some  conversation  with  her;  which  the  chief 
officer  perceiving,  told  her  it  was  an  easy  matter  to 
bring  her  to  her,  if  she  desired  and  commanded  it; 
and  the  princess  expressing  her  wishes,  he  immedi- 
ately sent  four  slaves  for  the  pretended  holy  woman. 

As  soon  as  the  crowd  saw  the  attendants  from  the 
palace,  they  made  way ;  and  the  magician,  perceiving 
also  that  they  were  coming  for  him,  advanced  to 
meet  them,  overjoyed  to  find  his  plot  succeed  so 


I04     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

well.  "  Holy  woman,"  said  one  of  the  slaves,  "  the 
princess  wants  to  see  you,  and  has  sent  us  for 
^you."  ''  The  princess  does  me  too  great  an  honour," 
replied  the  false  Fatima ;  "  I  am  ready  to  obey  her 
command,"  and  at  the  same  time  followed  the  slaves 
to  the  palace. 

When  the  pretended  Fatima  had  made  her  obei- 
sance, the  princess  said,  "  My  good  mother,  I  have 
one  thing  to  request,  which  you  must  not  refuse  me ; 
it  is,  to  stay  with  me,  that  you  may  edify  me  with 
your  way  of  living,  and  that  I  may  learn  from  your 
good  example."  "  Princess,"  said  the  counterfeit 
Fatima,  "  I  beg  of  you  not  to  ask  what  I  cannot  con- 
sent to  without  neglecting  my  prayers  and  devotion." 
"  That  shall  be  no  hindrance  to  you,"  answered  the 
princess ;  "  I  have  a  great  many  apartments  unoccu- 
pied ;  you  shall  choose  which  you  like  best,  and  have 
as  much  liberty  to  perform  your  devotions  as  if  you 
were  in  your  own  cell." 

The  magician,  who  really  desired  nothing  more 
than  to  introduce  himself  into  the  palace,  where  it 
would  be  a  much  easier  matter  for  him  to  execute 
his  designs,  did  not  long  excuse  himself  from  ac- 
cepting the  obliging  offer  which  the  princess  made 
him.  *'  Princess,"  said  he,  ''  whatever  resolution  a 
poor  wretched  woman  as  I  am  may  have  made  to  re- 
nounce the  pomp  and  grandeur  of  this  world,  I  dare 
not  presume  to  oppose  the  will  and  commands  of  so 
pious  and  charitable  a  princess." 

Upon  this  the  princess,  rising  up,  said,  "  Come 
with  me,  I  will  show  you  what  vacant  apartments  I 
have,  that  you  may  make  choice  of  that  you  like 
best."    The  magician  followed  the  princess,  and  of 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp  105 

all  the  apartments  she  showed  him,  made  choice  of 
that  which  was  the  worst,  saying  that  it  was  too 
good  for  him,  and  that  he  only  accepted  it  to  please 
her. 

Afterward  the  princess  would  have  brought  him 
back  into  the  great  hall  to  make  him  dine  with  her ; 
but  he,  considering  that  he  should  then  be  obliged  to 
show  his  face,  which  he  had  always  taken  care  to  con- 
ceal with  Fatima's  veil,  and  fearing  that  the  princess 
should  find  out  that  he  was  not  Fatima,  begged  of 
her  earnestly  to  excuse  him,  telling  her  that  he  never 
ate  anything  but  bread  and  dried  fruits,  and  desir- 
ing to  eat  that  slight  repast  in  his  own  apartment. 
The  princess  granted  his  request,  saying,  ''  You  may 
be  as  free  here,  good  mother,  as  if  you  were  in  your 
own  cell :  I  will  order  you  a  dinner,  but  remember  I 
expect  you  as  soon  as  you  have  finished  your  repast." 

After  the  princess  had  dined,  and  the  false  Fa- 
tima had  been  sent  for  by  one  of  the  attendants,  he 
again  waited  upon  her.  "  My  good  mother,"  said 
the  princess,  ''  I  am  overjoyed  to  see  so  holy  a 
woman  as  yourself,  who  will  confer  a  blessing  upon 
this  palace.  But  now  I  am  speaking  of  the  palace, 
pray  how  do  you  like  it?  And  before  I  show  it  all 
to  you,  tell  me  first  what  you  think  of  this  hall." 

Upon  this  question,  the  counterfeit  Fatima  sur- 
veyed the  hall  from  one  end  to  the  other.  When  he 
had  examined  it  well,  he  said  to  the  princess,  "  As  far 
as  such  a  solitary  being  as  I  am,  who  am  un- 
acquainted with  what  the  world  calls  beautiful,  can 
judge,  this  hall  is  truly  admirable;  there  wants  but 
one  thing."  "What  is  that,  good  mother?"  de- 
manded the  princess;  ''  tell  me,  I  conjure  you.    For 


io6     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

my  part,  I  always  believed,  and  have  heard  say,  it 
wanted  nothing;  but  if  it  does,  it  shall  be  supplied." 

''  Princess,"  said  the  false  Fatima,  with  great  dis- 
simulation, "  forgive  me  the  liberty  I  have  taken ; 
but  my  opinion  is,  if  it  can  be  of  any  importance, 
that  if  a  roc's  ^gg  were  hung  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
dome,  this  hall  would  have  no  parallel  in  the  four 
quarters  of  the  world,  and  your  palace  would  be  the 
wonder  of  the  universe." 

"  My  good  mother,"  said  the  princess,  "  what  is  a 
roc,  and  where  may  one  get  an  tgg"^  "  ''  Princess," 
replied  the  pretended  Fatima,  "  it  is  a  bird  of  pro- 
digious size,  which  inhabits  the  summit  of  Mount 
Caucasus ;  the  architect  who  built  your  palace  can 
get  you  one." 

After  the  princess  had  thanked  the  false  Fatima 
for  what  she  believed  her  good  advice,  she  con- 
versed with  her  upon  other  matters;  but  could  not 
forget  the  roc's  tgg,  which  she  resolved  to  request 
of  Aladdin  when  next  he  should  visit  his  apartments. 
He  did  so  in  the  course  of  that  evening,  and  shortly 
after  he  entered,  the  princess  thus  addressed  him : 
''  I  always  believed  that  our  palace  was  the  most 
superb,  magnificent,  and  complete  in  the  world :  but 
I  will  tell  you  now  what  it  wants,  and  that  is  a  roc's 
tgg  hung  up  in  the  midst  of  the  dome."  "  Princess," 
replied  Aladdin,  "  it  is  enough  that  you  think  it 
wants  such  an  ornament;  you  shall  see  by  the  dili- 
gence which  I  use  in  obtaining  it,  that  there  is  noth- 
ing which  I  would  not  do  for  your  sake." 

Aladdin  left  the  Princess  Buddir  al  Buddoor  that 
moment,  and  went  up  into  the  hall  of  four-and- 
twenty  windows,  where,  pulling  out  of  his  bosom  the 


Story  of  Aladdin;  or,  The  Wonderful  Lamp  107 

lamp,  which  after  the  danger  he  had  been  exposed 
to  he  always  carried  about  him,  he  rubbed  it;  upon 
which  the  genie  immediately  appeared.  "  Genie," 
said  Aladdin,  ''  I  command  thee,  in  the  name  of  this 
lamp,  bring  a  roc's  ^gg  to  be  hung  up  in  the  middle 
of  the  dome  of  the  hall  of  the  palace."  Aladdin  had 
no  sooner  pronounced  these  words,  than  the  hall 
shook  as  if  ready  to  fall;  and  the  genie  said  in  a 
loud  and  terrible  voice,  ''  Is  it  not  enough  that  I 
and  the  other  slaves  of  the  lamp  have  done  every- 
thing for  you,  but  you,  by  an  unheard-of  ingratitude, 
must  command  me  to  bring  my  master,  and  hang 
him  up  in  the  midst  of  this  dome  ?  This  attempt  de- 
serves that  you,  the  princess,  and  the  palace,  should 
be  immediately  reduced  to  ashes ;  but  you  are  spared 
because  this  request  does  not  come  from  yourself. 
Its, true  author  is  the  brother  of  the  African  magi- 
cian, your  enemy  whom  you  have  destroyed.  He 
is  now  in  your  palace,  disguised  in  the  habit  of  the 
holy  woman  Fatima,  whom  he  has  murdered ;  at  his 
suggestion  your  wife  makes  this  pernicious  demand. 
His  design  is  to  kill  you,  therefore  take  care  of  your- 
self."   After  these  words  the  genie  disappeared. 

Aladdin  resolved  at  once  what  to  do.  He  re- 
turned to  the  princess's  apartment,  and  without  men- 
tioning a  word  of  what  had  happened,  sat  down,  and 
complained  of  a  great  pain  which  had  suddenly 
seized  his  head.  On  hearing  this,  the  princess  told 
him  how  she  had  invited  the  holy  Fatima  to  stay 
with  her,  and  that  she  was  now  in  the  palace;  and 
at  the  request  of  the  prince,  ordered  her  to  be  sum- 
moned to  her  at  once. 

When  the  pretended  Fatima  came,  Aladdin  said. 


io8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  Come  hither,  good  mother ;  I  am  glad  to  see  you 
here  at  so  fortunate  a  time.  I  am  tormented  with 
a  violent  pain  in  my  head,  and  request  your  assist- 
ance, and  hope  you  will  not  refuse  me  that  cure 
which  you  impart  to  afflicted  persons."  So  saying, 
he  arose,  but  held  down  his  head.  The  counterfeit 
Fatima  advanced  toward  him,  with  his  hand  all  the 
time  on  a  dagger  concealed  in  his  girdle  under  his 
gown ;  which  Aladdin,  observing,  he  snatched  the 
weapon  from  his  hand,  pierced  him  to  the  heart  with 
his  own  dagger,  and  then  pushed  him  down  on  the 
floor. 

"  My  dear  prince,  what  have  you  done  ?  "  cried 
the  princess,  in  surprise.  ''  You  have  killed  the  holy 
woman !  "  "  No,  my  princess,"  answered  Aladdin 
with  emotion,  "  I  have  not  killed  Fatima,  but  a  vil- 
lain, who  would  have  assassinated  me,  if  I  had  not 
prevented  him.  "  This  wicked  man,"  added  he,  un- 
covering his  face,  ''  is  the  brother  of  the  magician 
who  attempted  our  ruin.  He  has  strangled  the  true 
Fatima,  and  disguised  himself  in  her  clothes  with  in- 
tent to  murder  me."  Aladdin  then  informed  her  how 
the  genie  had  told  him  these  facts,  and  how  narrowly 
she  and  the  palace  had  escaped  destruction  through 
his  treacherous  suggestion  which  had  led  to  her  re- 
quest. 

Thus  was  Aladdin  delivered  from  the  persecution 
of  the  two  brothers,  who  were  magicians.  Within  a 
few  years  afterward,  the  sultan  died  in  a  good  old 
age,  and  as  he  left  no  male  children,  the  Princess 
Buddir  al  Buddoor  succeeded  him,  and  she  and 
Aladdin  reigned  together  many  years,  and  left  a 
numerous  and  illustrious  posterity. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  HISTORY  OF  ALI  BAB  A,  AND  OF  THE  FORTY 
ROBBERS  KILLED  BY  ONE  SLAVE 

There  once  lived  in  a  town  of  Persia  two  broth- 
ers, one  named  Cassim  and  the  other  Ali  Baba. 
Their  father  divided  a  small  inheritance  equally  be- 
tween them.  Cassim  married  a  very  rich  wife,  and 
became  a  wealthy  merchant.  Ali  Baba  married  a 
woman  as  poor  as  himself,  and  lived  by  cutting 
wood,  and  bringing  it  upon  three  asses  into  the 
town  to  sell. 

One  day,  when  Ali  Baba  was  in  the  forest,  and 
had  just  cut  wood  enough  to  load  his  asses,  he  saw 
at  a  distance  a  great  cloud  of  dust,  which  seemed 
to  approach  him.  He  observed  it  with  attention, 
and  distinguished  soon  after  a  body  of  horsemen, 
who  he  suspected  might  be  robbers.  He  deter- 
mined to  leave  his  asses  to  save  himself.  He  climbed 
up  a  large  tree,  planted  on  a  high  rock,  whose 
branches  were  thick  enough  to  conceal  him,  and 
yet  enabled  him  to  see  all  that  passed  without  being 
discovered. 

The  troop,  who  were  to  the  number  of  forty,  all 
well  mounted  and  armed,  came  to  the  foot  of  the 
rock  on  which  the  tree  stood,  and  there  dismounted. 
Every  man  unbridled  his  horse,  tied  him  to  some 


no     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

shrub,  and  hung  about  his  neck  a  bag  of  corn  which 
they  brought  behind  them.  Then  each  of  them 
took  off  his  saddle-bag,  which  seemed  to  Ah  Baba 
to  be  full  of  gold  and  silver  from  its  weight.  One, 
whom  he  took  to  be  their  captain,  came  under  the 
tree  in  which  Ali  Baba  was  concealed;  and  making 
his  way  through  some  shrubs,  pronounced  these 
words :  "  Open,  Sesame  !  "  ^  As  soon  as  the  captain 
of  the  robbers  had  thus  spoken,  a  door  opened  in 
the  rock;  and  after  he  had  made  all  his  troop  enter 
before  him,  he  followed  them,  when  the  door  shut 
again  of  itself. 

The  robbers  stayed  some  time  within  the  rock, 
during  which  Ali  Baba,  fearful  of  being  caught,  re- 
mained in  the  tree. 

At  last  the  door  opened  again,  and  as  the  captain 
went  in  last,  so  he  came  out  first,  and  stood  to  see 
them  all  pass  by  him ;  w^hen  Ali  Baba  heard  him 
make  the  door  close  by  pronouncing  these  words, 
"  Shut,  Sesame !  "  Every  man  at  once  went  and 
bridled  his  horse,  fastened  his  wallet,  and  mounted 
again.  When  the  captain  saw  them  all  ready,  he 
put  himself  at  their  head,  and  they  returned  the 
way  they  had  come. 

Ali  Baba  followed  them  with  his  eyes  as  far  as 
he  could  see  them ;  and  afterward  stayed  a  consid- 
erable time  before  he  descended.  Remembering 
the  words  the  captain  of  the  robbers  used  to  cause 
the  door  to  open  and  shut,  he  had  the  curiosity  to 
try  if  his  pronouncing  them  would  have  the  same 
effect.  Accordingly,  he  went  among  the  shrubs,  and 
perceiving  the  door  concealed  behind  them,  stood 
^  "  Sesame  "  is  a  small  grain. 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  '      iii 

before  it,  and  said,  "  Open,  Sesame !  "  The  door  in- 
stantly flew  wide  open. 

AH  Baba,  who  expected  a  dark,  dismal  cavern, 
was  surprised  to  see  a  well-lighted  and  spacious 
chamber,  which  received  the  light  from  an  opening 
at  the  top  of  the  rock,  and  in  which  were  all  sorts 
of  provisions,  rich  bales  of  silk,  stuff,  brocade,  and 
valuable  carpeting,  piled  upon  one  another;  gold 
and  silver  ingots  in  great  heaps,  and  money  in  bags. 
The  sight  of  all  these  riches  made  him  suppose  that 
this  cave  must  have  been  occupied  for  ages  by  rob- 
bers, who  had  succeeded  one  another. 

Ali  Baba  went  boldly  into  the  cave,  and  collected 
as  much  of  the  gold  coin,  which  was  in  bags,  as 
he  thought  his  three  asses  could  carry.  When  he 
had  loaded  them  with  the  bags,  he  laid  wood  over 
them  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  not  be  seen. 
When  he  had  passed  in  and  out  as  often  as  he 
wished,  he  stood  before  the  door,  and  pronouncing 
the  words,  ''  Shut,  Sesame !  "  the  door  closed  of  it- 
self.    He  then  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  town. 

When  Ali  Baba  got  home,  he  drove  his  asses  into 
a  little  yard,  shut  the  gates  very  carefully,  threw  off 
the  wood  that  covered  the  panniers,  carried  the  bags 
into  his  house,  and  ranged  them  in  order  before  his 
wife.  He  then  emptied  the  bags,  which  raised  such 
a  great  heap  of  gold  as  dazzled  his  wife's  eyes,  and 
then  he  told  her  the  whole  adventure  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  and,  above  all,  recommended  her  to 
keep  it  secret. 

The  wife  rejoiced  greatly  in  their  good  fortune, 
and  would  count  all  the  gold  piece  by  piece.  "  Wife," 
*-eplied   Ali   Baba,   "  you   do   not   know   what   you 


112     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

undertake,  when  you  pretend  to  count  the  money; 
you  will  never  have  done.  I  will  dig  a  hole,  and 
bury  it.  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost."  "  You  are  in 
the  right,  husband,"  replied  she,  '*  but  let  us  know,  as 
nigh  as  possible,  how  much  we  have.  I  will  borrow 
a  small  measure,  and  measure  it,  while  you  dig  the 
hole." 

Away  the  wife  ran  to  her  brother-in-law  Cassim, 
who  lived  just  by,  and  addressing  herself  to  his 
wife,  desired  her  to  lend  her  a  measure  for  a  little 
while.  Her  sister-in-law  asked  her  whether  she 
would  have  a  great  or  a  small  one.  The  other  asked 
for  a  small  one.  She  bade  her  stay  a  little,  and  she 
would  readily  fetch  one. 

The  sister-in-law  did  so,  but  as  she  knew  Ali 
Baba's  poverty,  she  was  curious  to  know  what  sort 
of  grain  his  wife  wanted  to  measure,  and  artfully 
putting  some  suet  at  the  bottom  of  the  measure, 
brought  it  to  her,  with  an  excuse  that  she  was  sorry 
that  she  had  made  her  stay  so  long,  but  that  she 
could  not  find  it  sooner. 

Ali  Baba's  wife  went  home,  set  the  measure  upon 
the  heap  of  gold,  filled  it,  and  emptied  it  often  upon 
the  sofa,  till  she  had  done,  when  she  was  very  well 
satisfied  to  find  the  number  of  measures  amounted  to 
so  many  as  they  did,  and  went  to  tell  her  husband, 
who  had  almost  finished  digging  the  hole.  While 
Ali  Baba  was  burying  the  gold,  his  wife,  to  show 
her  exactness  and  diligence  to  her  sister-in-law, 
carried  the  measure  back  again,  but  without  taking 
notice  that  a  piece  of  gold  had  stuck  to  the  bottom. 
^*  Sister,"  said  she,  giving  it  to  her  again,  ''  you  see 


The  History  of  AH  Baha  113 

that  I  have  not  kept  your  measure  long.  I  am 
obliged  to  you  for  it,  and  return  it  with  thanks." 

As  soon  as  AH  Baba's  wife  was  gone,  Cassim's 
looked  at  the  bottom  o^the  measure,  and  was  in 
inexpressible  surprise  to  find  a  piece  of  gold  sticking 
to  it.  Envy  immediately  possessed  her  breast. 
"  What !  "  said  she,  "  has  Ali  Baba  gold  so  plentiful 
as  to  measure  it  ?    Whence  has  he  all  this  wealth  ?  " 

Cassim,  her  husband,  was  at  his  counting-house. 
When  he  came  home,  his  wife  said  to  him,  "  Cas- 
sim, I  know  you  think  yourself  rich,  but  Ali  Baba 
is  infinitely  richer  than  you.  He  does  not  count 
his  money,  but  measures  it."  Cassim  desired  her  to 
explain  the  riddle,  which  she  did,  by  telling  him  the 
stratagem  she  had  used  to  make  the  discovery,  and 
showed  him  the  piece  of  money,  which  was  so  old 
that  they  could  not  tell  in  what  prince's  reign  it  was 
coined. 

Cassim,  after  he  had  married  the  rich  widow,  had 
never  treated  Ali  Baba  as  a  brother,  but  neglected 
him ;  and  now,  instead  of  being  pleased,  he  conceived 
a  base  envy  at  his  brother's  prosperity.  He  could 
not  sleep  all  that  night,  and  went  to  him  in  the  morn- 
ing before  sunrise.  ''  Ali  Baba,"  said  he,  "  I  am  sur- 
prised at  you ;  you  pretend  to  be  miserably  poor,  and 
yet  you  measure  gold.  My  wife  found  this  at  the 
bottom  of  the  measure  you  borrowed  yesterday." 

By  this  discourse,  Ali  Baba  perceived  that  Cas- 
sim and  his  wife,  through  his  own  wife's  folly,  knew 
what  they  had  so  riiiuch  reason  to  conceal ;  but  what 
was  done,  could  not  be  undone.  Therefore,  without 
showing  the  least  surprise  or  trouble,  he  confessed 


114     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

all,  and  offered  his  brother  part  of  his  treasure  to 
keep  the  secret. 

"  I  expect  as  much,"  replied  Cassim  haughtily ; 
"  but  I  must  know  exacfly  where  this  treasure  is, 
and  how  I  may  visit  it  myself  when  I  choose ;  other- 
wise, I  will  go  and  inform  against  you,  and  then  you 
will  not  only  get  no  more,  but  will  lose  all  you  have, 
and  I  shall  have  a  share  for  my  information." 

Ali  Baba  told  him  all  he  desired,  even  to  the  very 
words  he  was  to  use  to  gain  admission  into  the 
cave. 

Cassim  rose  the  next  morning  long  before  the 
sun,  and  set  out  for  the  forest  with  ten  mules  bear- 
ing great  chests,  which  he  designed  to  fill,  and  fol- 
lowed the  road  which  Ali  Baba  had  pointed  out  to 
him.  He  was  not  long  before  he  reached  the  rock, 
and  found  out  the  place,  by  the  tree  and  other  marks 
which  his  brother  had  given  him.  When  he  reached 
the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  he  pronounced  the  words, 
*'  Open,  Sesame !  "  The  door  immediately  opened, 
and,  when  he  was  in,  closed  upon  him.  In  examin- 
ing the  cave,  he  was  in  great  admiration  to  find 
much  more  riches  than  he  had  expected  from  Ali 
Baba's  relation.  He  quickly  laid  as  many  bags  of 
gold  as  he  could  carry  at  the  door  of  the  cavern ; 
but  his  thoughts  were  so  full  of  the  great  riches  he 
should  possess,  that  he  could  not  think  of  the  neces- 
sary word  to  make  it  open,  but  instead  of  "  Se- 
same," said,  "  Open,  Barley !  "  and  was  much 
amazed  to  find  that  the  door  remained  fast  shut. 
He  named  several  sorts  of  grain,  but  still  the  door 
would  not  open. 

Cassim  had  never  expected  such  an  incident,  and 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  115 

was  so  alarmed  at  the  danger  he  was  in,  that  the 
more  he  endeavoured  to  remember  the  word  '*  Se- 
same," the  more  his  memory  was  confounded,  and 
he  had  as  much  forgotten  it  as  if  he  had  never 
heard  it  mentioned.  He  threw  down  the  bags  he 
had  loaded  himself  with,  and  walked  distractedly  up 
and  down  the  cave,  without  having  the  least  regard 
to  the  riches  that  were  around  him. 

About  noon  the  robbers  visited  their  cave.  At 
some  distance  they  saw  Cassim's  mules  straggling 
about  the  rock,  with  great  chests  on  their  backs. 
Alarmed  at  this,  they  galloped  full  speed  to  the 
cave.  They  drove  away  the  mules,  which  strayed 
through  the  forest  so  far,  that  they  were  soon  out 
of  sight,  and  went  directly,  with  their  naked  sabres 
in  their  hands,  to  the  door,  which,  on  their  captain 
pronouncing  the  proper  words,  immediately  opened. 

Cassim,  who  heard  the  noise  of  the  horses'  feet, 
at  once  guessed  the  arrival  of  the  robbers,  and  re- 
solved to  make  one  effort  for  his  life.  He  rushed 
to  the  door,  and  no  sooner  saw  the  door  open,  than 
he  ran  out  and  threw  the  leader  down,  but  could 
not  escape  the  other  robbers,  who  with  their  scimi- 
tars soon  deprived  him  of  life. 

The  first  care  of  the  robbers  after  this  was  to  ex- 
amine the  cave.  They  found  all  the  bags  which 
Cassim  had  brought  to  the  door,  to  be  ready  to  load 
his  mules,  and  carried  them  again  to  their  places, 
but  they  did  not  miss  what  Ali  Baba  had  taken  away 
before.  Then  holding  a  council,  and  deliberating 
upon  this  occurrence,  they  guessed  that  Cassim, 
when  he  was  in,  could  no  get  out  again,  but  could 
not  imagine  how  he  had  learned  the  secret  words 


ii6     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

by  which  alone  he  could  enter.  They  could  not  deny 
the  fact  of  his  being  there ;  and  to  terrify  any  per- 
son or  accomplice  who  should  attempt  the  same 
thing,  they  agreed  to  cut  Cassim's  body  into  four 
quarters — to  hang  two  on  one  side,  and  two  on  the 
other,  within  the  door  of  the  cave.  They  had  no 
sooner  taken  this  resolution  than  they  put  it  in  exe- 
cution; and  when  they  had  nothing  more  to  detain 
them,  left  the  place  of  their  hoards  well  closed. 
They  mounted  their  horses,  went  to  beat  the  roads 
again,  and  to  attack  the  caravans  they  might  meet. 

In  the  mean  time,  Cassim's  wife  was  very  uneasy 
when  night  came,  and  her  husband  was  not  returned. 
She  ran  to  Ali  Baba  in  great  alarm,  and  said,  "  I 
believe,  brother-in-law,  that  you  know  Cassim  is 
gone  to  the  forest,  and  upon  what  account ;  it  is  now 
night,  and  he  has  not  returned ;  I  am  afraid  some 
misfortune  has  happened  to  him."  Ali  Baba  told 
her  that  she  need  not  frighten  herself,  for  that  cer- 
tainly Cassim  would  not  think  it  proper  to  come  into 
the  town  till  the  night  should  be  pretty  far  advanced. 

Cassim's  wife,  considering  how  much  it  concerned 
her  husband  to  keep  the  business  secret,  was  the 
more  easily  persuaded  to  believe  her  brother-in-law. 
She  went  home  again,  and  waited  patiently  till  mid- 
night. Then  her  fear  redoubled,  and  her  grief  was 
the  more  sensible  because  she  was  forced  to  keep  it 
to  herself.  She  repented  of  her  foolish  curiosity, 
and  cursed  her  desire  of  prying  into  the  affairs  of 
her  brother  and  sister-in-law.  She  spent  all  the 
night  in  weeping;  and  as  soon  as  it  was  day  went 
to  them,  telling  them,  by  her  tears,  the  cause  of  her 
coming. 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  117 

AH  Baba  did  not  wait  for  his  sister-in-law  to  de- 
sire him  to  go  to  see  what  was  become  of  Cassim,  but 
departed  immediately  with  his  three  asses,  begging 
of  her  first  to  moderate  her  affliction.  He  went  to 
the  forest,  and  when  he  came-  near  the  rock,  having 
seen  neither  his  brother  nor  the  mules  in  his  way, 
was  seriously  alarmed  at  finding  some  blood  spilt 
near  the  door,  which  he  took  for  an  ill  omen;  but 
when  he  had  pronounced  the  word,  and  the  door 
had  opened,  he  was  struck  with  horror  at  the  dismal 
sight  of  his  brother's  body.  He  was  not  long  in  de- 
termining how  he  should  pay  the  last  dues  to  his 
brother ;  but  without  adverting  to  the  little  fraternal 
affection  he  had  shown  for  him,  went  into  the  cave, 
to  find  something  to  enshroud  his  remains ;  and  hav- 
ing loaded  one  of  his  asses  with  them,  covered  them 
over  with  wood.  The  other  two  asses  he  loaded 
with  bags  of  gold,  covering  them  with  wood  also  as 
before ;  and  then  bidding  the  door  shut,  came  away ; 
but  was  so  cautious  as  to  stop  some  time  at  the  end 
of  the  forest,  that  he  might  not  go  into  the  town  be- 
fore night.  When  he  came  home,  he  drove  the  two 
asses  loaded  with  gold  into  his  little  yard,  and  left 
the  care  of  unloading  them  to  his  wife,  while  he  led 
the  other  to  his  sister-in-law's  house. 

Ali  Baba  knocked  at  the  dor,  which  was  opened 
by  Morgiana,  a  clever,  intelligent  slave,  who  was 
fruitful  in  inventions  to  meet  the  most  difficult  cir- 
cumstances. When  he  came  into  the  court,  he  un- 
loaded the  ass,  and  taking  Morgiana  aside,  said  to 
her,  "  You  must  observe  an  inviolable  secrecy.  Your 
master's  body  is  contained  in  these  two  panniers. 
We  must  bury  him  as  if  he  had  died  a  natural  death. 


ii8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Go  now  and  tell  your  mistress.  I  leave  the  matter 
to  your  wit  and  skilful  devices." 

AH  Baba  helped  to  place  the  body  in  Cassim's 
house,  again  recommended  to  Morgiana  to  act  her 
part  well,  and  then  returned  with  his  ass. 

Morgiana  went  out  early  the  next  morning  to  a 
druggist,  and  asked  for  a  sort  of  lozenge  which  was 
considered  efficacious  in  the  most  dangerous  dis- 
orders. The  apothecary  inquired  who  was  ill  ?  She 
replied,  with  a  sigh,  "  Her  good  master  Cassim  him- 
self:  and  that  he  could  neither  eat  nor  speak."  In 
the  evening  Morgiana  went  to  the  same  druggist's 
again,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  asked  for  an  es- 
sence which  they  used  to  give  to  sick  people  only 
when  at  the  last  extremity.  ''  Alas !  "  said  she,  tak- 
ing it  from  the  apothecary,  ''  I  am  afraid  that  this 
remedy  will  have  no  better  effect  than  the  lozenges ; 
and  that  I  shall  lose  my  good  master." 

On  the  other  hand,  as  Ali  Baba  and  his  wife  were 
often  seen  to  go  between  Cassim's  and  their  own 
house  all  that  day,  and  to  seem  melancholy,  nobody 
was  surprised  in  the  evening  to  hear  the  lamentable 
shrieks  and  cries  of  Cassim's  wife  and  Morgiana, 
who  gave  out  everywhere  that  her  master  was  dead. 
The  next  morning  at  daybreak  Morgiana  went  to  an 
old  cobbler  whom  she  knew  to  be  always  early  at  his 
stall,  and  bidding  him  good-morrow,  put  a  piece  of 
gold  into  his  hand,  saying,  ''  Baba  Mustapha,  you 
must  bring  with  you  your  sewing  tackle,  and  come 
with  me;  but  I  must  tell  you,  I  shall  blindfold  you 
when  you  come  to  such  a  place." 

Baba  Mustapha  seemed  to  hesitate  a  little  at  these 
words.     "  Oh  !  oh  !  "  replied  he,  "  you  would  have 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  119 

me  do  something  against  my  conscience,  or  against 
my  honour  ?  "  ''  God  forbid,"  said  Morgiana,  put- 
ting another  piece  of  gold  into  his  hand,  '*  that  I 
should  ask  anything  that  is  contrary  to  your  hon- 
our !  only  come  along  with  me  and  fear  nothing." 

Baba  Mustapha  went  with  Morgiana,  who,  after 
she  had  bound  his  eyes  with  a  handkerchief  at  the 
place  she  had  mentioned,  conveyed  him  to  her  de- 
ceased master's  house,  and  never  unloosed  his  eyes 
till  he  had  entered  the  room  where  she  had  put  the 
corpse  together.  "  Baba  Mustapha,"  said  she,  "  you 
must  make  haste  and  sew  the  parts  of  this  body 
together;  and  when  you  have  done,  I  will  give  you 
another  piece  of  gold." 

After  Baba  Mustapha  had  finished  his  task,  she 
blindfolded  him  again,  gave  him  the  third  piece 
of  gold  as  she  had  promised,  and  recommending 
secrecy  to  him  carried  him  back  to  the  place  where 
she  first  bound  his  eyes,  pulled  off  the  bandage,  and 
let  him  go  home,  but  watched  him  that  he  returned 
toward  his  stall,  till  he  was  quite  out  of  sight,  for 
fear  he  should  have  the  curiosity  to  return  and 
dodge  her ;  she  then  went  home.  Morgiana,  on  her 
return,  warmed  some  water  to  wash  the  body,  and 
at  the  same  time  Ali  Baba  perfumed  it  with  incense, 
and  wrapped  it  in  the  burying  clothes  with  the 
accustomed  ceremonies.  Not  long  after  the  proper 
officer  brought  the  bier,  and  when  the  attendants  of 
the  mosque,  whose  business  it  was  to  wash  the  dead, 
offered  to  perform  their  duty,  she  told  them  that  it 
was  done  already.  Shortly  after  this  the  imaun  and 
the  other  ministers  of  the  mosque  arrived.  Four 
neighbours    carried    the    corpse    to    the    burying- 


I20     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ground,  following  the  imaun,  who  recited  some 
prayers.  Ali  Baba  came  after  with  some  neigh- 
bours, who  often  relieved  the  others  in  carrying  the 
bier  to  the  burying-ground.  Morgiana,  a  slave  to 
the  deceased,  followed  in  the  procession,  weeping, 
beating  her  breast,  and  tearing  her  hair.  Cassim's 
wife  stayed  at  home  mourning,  uttering  lamentable 
cries  with  the  women  of  the  neighbourhood,  who 
came,  according  to  custom,  during  the  funeral,  and 
joining  their  lamentations  with  hers  filled  the  quar- 
ter far  and  near  with  sounds  of  sorrow. 

In  this  manner  Cassim's  melancholy  death  was 
concealed  and  hushed  up  between  Ali  Baba,  his 
widow,  and  Morgiana,  his  slave,  with  so  much  con- 
trivance that  nobody  in  the  city  had  the  least  knowl- 
edge or  suspicion  of  the  cause  of  it.  Three  or  four 
days  after  the  funeral,  Ali  Baba  removed  his  few 
goods  openly  to  his  sister-in-law's  house,  in  which 
it  was  agreed  that  he  should  in  future  live ;  but  the 
money  he  had  taken  from  the  robbers  he  conveyed 
thither  by  night.  As  for  Cassim's  warehouse,  he 
entrusted  it  entirely  to  the  management  of  his  eldest 
son. 

While  these  things  were  being  done,  the  forty 
robbers  again  visited  their  retreat  in  the  forest. 
Great,  then,  was  their  surprise  to  find  Cassim's  body 
taken  away,  with  some  of  their  bags  of  gold.  "  We 
are  certainly  discovered,"  said  the  captain.  "  The 
removal  of  the  body,  and  the  loss  of  some  of  our 
money,  plainly  shows  that  the  man  whom  we  killed 
had  an  accomplice :  and  for  our  own  lives'  sake  we 
must  try  and  find  him.    What  say  you,  my  lads  ?  '* 


The  History  of  All  Baba  121 

All  the  robbers  unanimously  approved  of  the  cap- 
tain's proposal. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  one  of  you,  the  bold- 
est and  most  skilful  among  you,  must  go  into  the 
town,  disguised  as  a  traveller  and  a  stranger,  to  try 
if  he  can  hear  any  talk  of  the  man  whom  we  h^ve 
killed,  and  endeavour  to  find  out  who  he  was,  and 
where  he  lived.  This  is  a  matter  of  the  first  im- 
portance, and  for  fear  of  any  treachery,  I  propose 
that  whoever  undertakes  this  business  without  suc- 
cess, even  though  the  failure  arises  only  from  an 
error  of  judgment,  shall  suffer  death." 

Without  waiting  for  the  sentiments  of  his  com- 
panions, one  of  the  robbers  started  up,  and  said, 
"  I  submit  to  this  condition,  and  think  it  an  honour 
to  expose  my  life  to  serve  the  troop." 

After  this  robber  had  received  great  commenda- 
tions from  the  captain  and  his  comrades,  he  dis- 
guised himself  so  that  nobody  would  take  him  for 
what  he  was ;  and  taking  his  leave  of  the  troop  that 
night,  went  into  the  town  just  at  daybreak;  and 
walked  up  and  down,  till  accidentally  he  came  to 
Baba  Mustapha's  stall,  which  was  always  open  be- 
fore any  of  the  shops. 

Baba  Mustapha  was  seated  with  an  awl  in  his 
hand,  just  going  to  work.  The  robber  saluted  him, 
bidding  him  good-morrow;  and  perceiving  that  he 
was  old,  said,  "  Honest  man,  you  begin  to  work 
very  early:  is  it  possible  that  one  of  your  age  can 
see  so  well?  I  question,  even  if  it  were  somewhat 
lighter,  whether  you  could  see  to  stitch." 

''  You  do  not  know  me,"  replied  Baba  Mustapha ; 
"  for  old  as  I  am,  I  have  extraordinary  good  eyes ; 


122     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  you  will  not  doubt  it  when  I  tell  you  that  I 
sewed  the  body  of  a  dead  man  together  in  a  place 
where  I  had  not  so  much  light  as  I  have  now." 

"  A  dead  body !  "  exclaimed  the  robber,  with  af- 
fected amazement.  '*  Yes,  yes,"  answered  Baba 
Mustapha,  "I  see  you  want  to  have  me  speak  out, 
but  you  shall  know  no  more." 

The  robber  felt  sure  that  he  had  discovered  what 
he  sought.  He  pulled  out  a  piece  of  gold,  and  put- 
ting it  into  Baba  Mustapha's  hand,  said  to  him,  "  I 
do  not  want  to  learn  your  secret,  though  I  can 
assure  you  you  might  safely  trust  me  with  it.  The 
only  thing  I  desire  of  you  is  to  show  me  the  house 
where  you  stitched  up  the  dead  body." 

*'  If  I  were  disposed  to  do  you  that  favour,"  re- 
plied Baba  Mustapha,  ''  I  assure  you  I  cannot.  I 
was  taken  to  a  certain  place,  whence  I  was  led 
blindfold  to  the  house,  and  afterward  brought  back 
again  in  the  same  manner ;  you  see,  therefore, 
the  impossibility  of  my  doing  what  you  desire." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  robber,  "  you  may,  however, 
remember  a  little  of  the  way  that  you  were  led 
blindfold.  Come,  let  me  blind  your  eyes  at  the 
same  place.  We  will  walk  together;  perhaps  you 
may  recognise  some  part ;  and  as  everybody  ought 
to  be  paid  for  their  trouble,  there  is  another  piece  of 
gold  for  you ;  gratify  me  in  what  I  ask  you."  So 
saying,  he  put  another  piece  of  gold  into  his  hand. 

The  two  pieces  of  gold  were  great  temptations 
to  Baba  Mustapha.  He  looked  at  them  a  long  time 
in  his  hand,  without  saying  a  word,  but  at  last  he 
pulled  out  his  purse  and  put  them  in.  ''  I  cannot 
promise,"  said  he  to  the  robber,  *'  that  I  can  remem- 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  123 

ber  the  way  exactly ;  but  since  you  desire,  I  will  try 
what  I  can  do."  At  these  words  Baba  Mustapha 
rose  up,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  robber,  and  led  him 
to  the  place  where  Morgiana  had  bound  his  eyes. 
**  It  was  here,"  said  Baba  Mustapha,  "  I  was  blind- 
folded ;  and  I  turned  this  way."  The  robber  tied  his 
handkerchief  over  his  eyes,  and  walked  by  him  till 
he  stopped  directly  at  Cassim's  house,  where  Ali 
Baba  then  lived.  The  thief,  before  he  pulled  off  the 
band,  marked  the  door  with  a  piece  of  chalk,  which 
he  had  ready  in  his  hand,  and  then  asked  him  if  he 
knew  whose  house  that  was;  to  which  Baba  Mus- 
tapha replied  that  as  he  did  not  live  in  that  neigh- 
bourhood, he  could  not  tell. 

The  robber,  finding  he  could  discover  no  more 
from  Baba  Mustapha,  thanked  him  for  the  trouble 
he  had  taken,  and  left  him  to  go  back  to  his  stall, 
while  he  returned  to  the  forest,  persuaded  that  he 
should  be  very  well  received. 

A  little  after  the  robber  and  Baba  Mustapha  had 
parted,  Morgiana  went  out  of  Ali  Baba's  house  upon 
some  errand,  and  upon  her  return,  seeing  the  mark 
the  robber  had  made,  stopped  to  observe  it.  "  What 
can  be  the  meaning  of  this  mark  ?  "  said  she  to  her- 
self ;  "  somebody  intends  my  master  no  good :  how- 
ever, with  whatever  intention  it  was  done,  it  is  ad- 
visable to  guard  against  the  worst."  Accordingly, 
she  fetched  a  piece  of  chalk,  and  marked  two  or  three 
doors  on  each  side,  in  the  same  manner,  without 
saying  a  word  to  her  master  or  mistress. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  robber  rejoined  his  troop  in 
the  forest,  and  recounted  to  them  his  success;  ex- 
patiating upon  his  good  fortune,  in  meeting  so  soon 


124    Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

with  the  pnly  person  who  could  inform  him  of  what 
he  wanted  to  know.  All  the  robbers  listened  to  him 
with  the  utmost  satisfaction ;  when  the  captain,  after 
commending  his  diligence,  addressing  himself  to 
them  all,  said,  "  Comrades,  we  have  no  time  to  lose : 
let  us  set  off  well  armed,  without  its  appearing  who 
we  are;  but  that  we  may  not  excite  any  suspicion, 
let  only  one  or  two  go  into  the  town  together,  and 
join  at  our  rendezvous,  which  shall  be  the  great 
square.  In  the  mean  time,  our  comrade  who  brought 
us  the  good  news  and  I  will  go  and  find  out  the 
house,  that  we  may  consult  what  had  best  be  done." 

This  speech  and  plan  was  approved  of  by  all,  and 
they  were  soon  ready.  They  filed  off  in  parties  of 
two  each,  after  some  interval  of  time,  and  got  into 
the  town  without  being  in  the  least  suspected.  The 
captain,  and  he  who  had  visited  the  town  in  the 
morning  as  spy,  came  in  the  last.  He  led  the  cap- 
tain into  the  street  where  he  had  marked  Ali  Baba's 
residence ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  first  of  the 
houses  which  Morgiana  had  marked,  he  pointed  it 
out.  But  the  captain  observed  that  the  next  door 
was  chalked  in  the  same  manner  and  in  the  same 
place ;  and  showing  it  to  his  guide,  asked  him  which 
house  it  was,  that,  or  the  first.  The  guide  was  so 
confounded,  that  he  knew  not  what  answer  to  make ; 
but  still  more  puzzled,  when  he  and  the  captain  saw 
five  or  six  houses  similarly  marked.  He  assured 
the  captain,  with  an  oath,  that  he  had  marked  but 
one,  and  could  not  tell  who  had  chalked  the  rest,  so 
that  he  could  not  distinguish  the  house  which  the 
cobbler  had  stopped  at. 

The  captain,  finding  that  their  design  had  proved 


The  History  of  AH  Baha  125 

abortive,  went  directly  to  the  place  of  meeting, 
and  told  his  troop  that  they  had  lost  their  labour, 
and  must  return  to  their  cave.  He  himself  set  them 
the  example,  and  they  all  returned  as  they  had 
come. 

When  the  troop  was  all  got  together,  the  captain 
told  them  the  reason  of  their  returning;  and  pres- 
ently the  conductor  was  declared  by  all  worthy  of 
death.  He  condemned  himself,  acknowledging  that 
he  ought  to  have  taken  better  precaution,  and  pre- 
pared to  receive  the  stroke  from  him  who  was  ap- 
pointed to  cut  off  his  head. 

But  as  the  safety  of  the  troop  required  the  discov- 
ery of  the  second  intruder  into  the  cave,  another  of 
the  gang,  who  promised  himself  that  he  should  suc- 
ceed better,  presented  himself,  and  his  offer  being 
accepted,  he  went  and  corrupted  Baba  Mustapha, 
as  the  other  had  done ;  and  being  shown  the  house, 
marked  it  in  a  place  more  remote  from  sight,  with 
red  chalk. 

Not  long  after,  Morgiana,  whose  eyes  nothing 
could  escape,  went  out,  and  seeing  the  red  chalk,  and 
arguing  with  herself  as  she  had  done  before,  marked 
the  other  neighbours'  houses  in  the  same  place  and 
manner. 

The  robber,  at  his  return  to  his  company,  valued 
himself  much  on  the  precaution  he  had  taken,  which 
he  looked  upon  as  an  infallible  way  of  distinguish- 
ing Ali  Baba's  house  from  the  others ;  and  the  cap- 
tain and  all,  of  them  thought  it  must  succeed.  They 
conveyed  themselves  into  the  town  with  the  same 
precaution  as  before ;  but  when  the  robber  and  his 
captain  came  to  the  street,  they  found  the  same  diffi- 


126     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

culty ;  at  which  the  captain  was  enraged,  and  the 
robber  in  as  great  confusion  as  his  predecessor. 

Thus  the  captain  and  his  troop  were  forced  to  re- 
tire a  second  time,  and  much  more  dissatisfied ;  while 
the  robber  who  had  been  the  author  of  the  mistake 
underwent  the  same  punishment,  to  which  he  will- 
ingly submitted. 

The  captain,  having  lost  two  brave  fellows  of  his 
troop,  was  afraid  of  diminishing  it  too  much  by  pur- 
suing this  plan  to  get  information  of  the  residence 
of  their  plunderer.  He  found  by  their  example  that 
their  heads  were  not  so  good  as  their  hands  on  such 
occasions ;  and  therefore  resolved  to  take  upon  him- 
self the  important  commission. 

Accordingly,  he  went  and  addressed  himself  to 
Baba  Mustapha,  who  did  him  the  same  service  he 
had  done  to  the  other  robbers.  He  did  not  set  any 
particular  mark  on  the  house,  but  examined  and  ob- 
served it  so  carefully,  by  passing  often  by  it,  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  mistake  it. 

The  captain,  well  satisfied  with  his  attempt,  and 
informed  of  what  he  wanted  to  know,  returned  to 
the  forest;  and  when  he  came  into  the  cave,  where 
the  troop  waited  for  him,  said,  "  Now,  comrades, 
nothing  can  prevent  our  full  revenge,  as  I  am  cer- 
tain of  the  house ;  and  in  my  way  hither  I  have 
thought  how  to  put  it  into  execution,  but  if  any 
one  can  form  a  better  expedient,  let  him  communi- 
cate it."  He  then  told  them  his  contrivance;  and 
as  they  approved  of  it,  ordered  them  to  go  into  the 
villages  about,  and  buy  nineteen  mules,  with  thirty- 
eight  large  leather  jars,  one  full  of  oil,  and  the 
others  empty. 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  127 

In  two  or  three  days'  time  the  robbers  had  pur- 
chased the  mules  and  jars,  and  as  the  mouths  of  the 
jars  were  rather  too  narrow  for  his  purpose,  the 
captain  caused  them  to  be  widened,  and  after  having 
put  one  of  his  men  into  each,  with  the  weapons 
which  he  thought  fit,  leaving  open  the  seam  which 
had  been  undone  to  leave  them  room  to  breathe, 
he  rubbed  the  jars  on  the  outside  with  oil  from  the 
full  vessel. 

Things  being  thus  prepared,  when  the  nineteen 
mules  were  loaded  with  thirty-seven  robbers  in  jars, 
and  the  jar  of  oil,  the  captain,  as  their  driver,  set 
out  with  them,  and  reached  the  town  by  the  dusk 
of  the  evening,  as  he  had  intended.  He  led  them 
through  the  streets,  till  he  came  to  Ali  Baba's,  at 
whose  door  he  designed  to  have  knocked ;  but  was 
prevented  by  his  sitting  there  after  supper  to  take  a 
little  fresh  air.  He  stopped  his  mules,  addressed 
himself  to  him,  and  said,  "  I  have  brought  some  oil 
a  great  way,  to  sell  at  to-morrow's  market ;  and  it  is 
now  so  late  that  I  do  not  know  where  to  lodge.  If 
I  should  not  be  troublesome  to  you,  do  me  the  fa- 
vour to  let  me  pass  the  night  with  you,  and  I  shall 
be  very  much  obliged  by  your  hospitality," 

Though  Ali  Baba  had  seen  the  captain  of  the  rob- 
bers in  the  forest,  and  had  heard  him  speak,  it  was 
impossible  to  know  him  in  the  disguise  of  an  oil 
merchant.  He  told  him  he  should  be  welcome,  and 
immediately  opened  his  gates  for  the  mules  to  go 
into  the  yard.  At  the  same  time  he  called  to  a  slave, 
and  ordered  him,  when  the  mules  were  unloaded,  to 
put  them  into  the  stable,  and  to  feed  them ;  and 
then  went  to  Morgiana,  to  bid  her  get  a  good  sup- 


128     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

per  for  his  guest.  After  they  had  finished  supper, 
AH  Baba,  charging  Morgiana  afresh  to  take  care  of 
his  guest,  said  to  her,  "  To-morrow  morning  I  de- 
sign to  go  to  the  bath  before  day ;  take  care  my  bath- 
ing Hnen  be  ready,  give  them  to  Abdalla  (which 
was  the  slave's  name),  and  make  me  some  good 
broth  against  my  return."    After  this  he  went  to  bed. 

In  the  mean  time  the  captain  of  the  robbers  went 
into  the  yard,  and  took  off  the  Hd  of  each  jar,  and 
gave  his  people  orders  what  to  do.  Beginning  at 
the  first  jar,  and  so  on  to  the  last,  he  said  to  each 
man :  "  As  soon  as  I  throw  some  stones  out  of  the 
chamber  window  where  I  lie,  do  not  fail  to  come 
out,  and  I  will  immediately  join  you."  After  this 
he  returned  into  the  house,  when  Morgiana,  taking 
up  a  light,  conducted  him  to  his  chamber,  where  she 
left  him ;  and  he,  to  avoid  any  suspicion,  put  the 
light  out  soon  after,  and  laid  himself  down  in  his 
clothes,  that  he  might  be  the  more  ready  to  rise. 

Morgiana,  remembering  Ali  Baba's  orders,  got 
his  bathing  linen  ready,  and  ordered  Abdalla  to  set 
on  the  pot  for  the  broth  ;  but  while  she  was  preparing 
it  the  lamp  went  out,  and  there  was  no  more  oil  in 
the  house,  nor  any  candles.  What  to  do  she  did  not 
know,  for  the  broth  must  be  made.  Abdalla,  seeing 
her  very  uneasy,  said,  "  Do  not  fret  and  tease  your- 
self, but  go  into  the  yard,  and  take  some  oil  out  of 
one  of  the  jars." 

Morgiana  thanked  Abdalla  for  his  advice,  took 
the  oil-pot,  and  went  into  the  yard;  when,  as  she 
came  nigh  the  first  jar,  the  robber  within  said  softly, 
■'  Is  it  time  ?  " 

Though  naturally  much   surprised  at  finding  a 


The  History  of  Alt  Baba  129 

man  in  the  jar  instead  of  the  oil  she  wanted,  she 
immediately  felt  the  importance  of  keeping  silence, 
as  Ali  Baba,  his  family,  and  herself  were  in  great 
danger ;  and  collecting  herself,  without  showing  the 
least  emotion,  she  answered,  "  Not  yet,  but  pres- 
ently." She  went  quietly  in  this  manner  to  all  the 
jars,  giving  the  same  answer,  till  she  came  to  the  jar 
of  oil. 

By  this  means  Morgiana  found  that  her  master 
Ali  Baba  had  admitted  thirty-eight  robbers  into  his 
house,  and  that  this  pretended  oil  merchant  was 
their  captain.  She  made  what  haste  she  could  to  fill 
her  oil-pot,  and  returned  into  her  kitchen,  where,  as 
soon  as  she  had  lighted  her  lamp,  she  took  a  great 
kettle,  went  again  to  the  oil- jar,  filled  the  kettle, 
set  it  on  a  large  wood  fire,  and  as  soon  as  it  boiled, 
went  and  poured  enough  into  every  jar  to  stifle  and 
destroy  the  robber  within. 

When  this  action,  worthy  of  the  courage  of  Mor- 
giana, was  executed  without  any  noise,  as  she  had 
projected,  she  returned  into  the  kitchen  with  the 
empty  kettle ;  and  having  put  out  the  great  fire  she 
had  made  to  boil  the  oil,  and  leaving  just  enough  to 
make  the  broth,  put  out  the  lamp  also,  and  remained 
silent,  resolving  not  to  go  to  rest  till  she  had  ob- 
served what  might  follow  through  a  window  of  the 
kitchen,  which  opened  into  the  yard. 

She  had  not  waited  long  before  the  captain  of  the 
robbers  got  up,  opened  the  window,  and  finding  no 
light,  and  hearing  no  noise,  or  any  one  stirring  in 
the  house,  gave  the  appointed  signal,  by  throwing 
little  stones,  several  of  which  hit  the  jars,  as  he 
doubted   not   by   the   sound   they   gave.    He   then 


130    Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

listened,  but  not  hearing  or  perceiving  anything 
whereby  he  could  judge  that  his  companions  stirred, 
he  began  to  grow  very  uneasy,  threw  stones  again  a 
second  and  also  a  third  time,  and  could  not  compre- 
hend the  reason  that  none  of  them  should  answer 
his  signal.  Much  alarmed,  he  went  softly  down  into 
the  yard,  and  going  to  the  first  jar,  while  asking  the 
robber,  whom  he  thought  alive,  if  he  was  in  readi- 
ness, smelt  the  hot  boiled  oil,  which  sent  forth  a 
steam  out  of  the  jar.  Hence  he  suspected  that  his 
plot  to  murder  Ali  Baba,  and  plunder  his  house,  was 
discovered.  Examining  all  the  jars,  one  after  an- 
other, he  found  that  all  his  gang  were  dead ;  and, 
enraged  to  despair  at  having  failed  in  his  design,  he 
forced  the  lock  of  a  door  that  led  from  the  yard  to 
the  garden,  and  climbing  over  the  walls  made  his 
escape. 

When  Morgiana  saw  him  depart,  she  went  to  bed, 
satisfied  and  pleased  to  have  succeeded  so  well  in 
saving  her  master  and  family. 

Ali  Baba  rose  before  day,  and,  followed  by  his 
slave,  went  to  the  baths,  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
important  event  which  had  happened  at  home. 

When  he  returned  from  the  baths,  he  was  very 
much  surprised  to  see  the  oil- jars,  and  that  the  mer- 
chant was  not  gone  with  the  mules.  He  asked  Mor- 
giana, who  opened  the  door,  the  reason  of  it.  '*  My 
good  master,"  answered  she,  "  God  preserve  you 
and  all  your  family.  You  will  be  better  informed 
of  what  you  wish  to  know  when  you  have  seen  what 
I  have  to  show  you,  if  you  will  follow  me." 

As  soon  as  Morgiana  had  shut  the  door,  Ali  Baba 
followed  her,  when  she  requested  him  to  look  into 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  131 

the  first  jar,  and  see  if  there  was  any  oil.  Ali  Baba 
did  so,  and  seeing  a  man,  started  back  in  alarm,  and 
cried  out.  "  Do  not  be  afraid,"  said  Morgiana, 
*'  the  man  you  see  there  can  neither  do  you  nor  any- 
body else  any  harm.  He  is  dead."  "  Ah,  Mor- 
giana," said  Ali  Baba,  "  what  is  it  you  show  me  ? 
Explain  yourself."  "  I  will,"  replied  Morgiana. 
"  Moderate  your  astonishment,  and  do  not  excite 
the  curiosity  of  your  neighbours ;  for  it  is  of  great 
importance  to  keep  this  affair  secret.  Look  into  all 
the  other  jars." 

Ali  Baba  examined  all  the  other  jars,  one  after 
another ;  and  when  he  came  to  that  which  had  the 
oil  in  it,  found  it  prodigiously  sunk,  and  stood  for 
some  time  motionless,  sometimes  looking  at  the 
jars,  and  sometimes  at  Morgiana,  without  saying  a 
word,  so  great  was  his  surprise.  At  last,  when  he 
had  recovered  himself,  he  said,  "  And  what  is  be- 
come of  the  merchant  ?  " 

"  Merchant !  "  answered  she ;  "  he  is  as  much  one 
as  I  am.  I  will  tell  you  who  he  is,  and  what  is 
become  of  him ;  but  you  had  better  hear  the  story  in 
your  own  chamber;  for  it  is  time  for  your  health 
that  you  had  your  broth  after  your  bathing." 

Morgiana  then  told  him  all  she  had  done,  from  the 
first  observing  the  mark  upon  the  house,  to  the  de- 
struction of  the  robbers,  and  the  flight  of  their  cap- 
tain. 

On  hearing  of  these  brave  deeds  from  the  lips  of 
Morgiana,  Ali  Baba  said  to  her — "  God,  by  your 
means,  has  delivered  me  from  the  snares  these  rob- 
bers laid  for  my  destruction.  I  owe,  therefore,  my 
life  to  you ;  and,  for  the  first  token  of  my  acknowl- 


i3;2-:    Fairy  Tqles  Every  Child  Should  Know 

edgment,  give  you  your  liberty  from  this  moment, 
till  I  can  complete  your  recompense  as  I  intend." 

Ali  Baba's  garden  was  very  long,  and  shaded  at 
the  further  end  by  a  great  number  of  large  trees. 
Near  these  he  and  the  slave  Abdalla  dug  a  trench, 
long  and  wide  enough  to  hold  the  bodies  of  the  rob- 
bers ;  and  as  the  earth  was  light,  they  were  not  long 
in  doing  it.  When  this  was  done,  Ali  Baba  hid  the 
jars  and  weapons ;  and  as  he  had  no  occasion  for  the 
mules,  he  sent  them  at  different  times  to  be  sold  in 
the  market  by  his  slave. 

While  Ali  Baba  took  these  measures,  the  captain 
of  the  forty  robbers  returned  to  the  forest  with  in- 
conceivable mortification.  He  did  not  stay  long ;  the 
loneliness  of  the  gloomy  cavern  became  frightful  to 
him.  He  determined,  however,  to  avenge  the  fate 
of  his  companions,  and  to  accomplish  the  death  of 
Ali  Baba.  For  this  purpose  he  returned  to  the  town, 
and  took  a  lodging  in  a  khan,  and  disguised  himself 
as  a  merchant  in  silks.  Under  this  assumed  charac- 
ter, he  gradually  conveyed  a  great  many  sorts  of 
rich  stuffs  and  fine  linen  to  his  lodging  from  the 
cavern,  but  with  all  the  necessary  precautions  to 
conceal  the  place  whence  he  brought  them.  In  order 
to  dispose  of  the  merchandise,  when  he  had  thus 
amassed  them  together,  he  took  a  warehouse,  which 
happened  to  be  opposite  to  Cassim's,  which  Ali 
Baba's  son  had  occupied  since  the  death  of  his  uncle. 

He  took  the  name  of  Cogia  Houssain,  and,  as  a 
new-comer,  was,  according  to  custom,  extremely 
civil  and  complaisant  to  all  the  merchants  his  neigh- 
bours. Ali  Baba's  son  was,  from  his  vicinity,  one 
of  the  first  to  converse  with  Cogia  Houssain,  who 


The  History  of  AH  Baha  133 

strove  to  cultivate  his  friendship  more  particularly. 
Two  or  three  days  after  he  was  settled,  Ali  Baba 
came  to  see  his  son,  and  the  captain  of  the  robbers 
recognised  him  at  once,  and  soon  learned  from  his 
son  who  he  was.  After  this  he  increased  his  assidu- 
ities, caressed  him  in  the  most  engaging  manner, 
made  him  some  small  presents,  and  often  asked  him 
to  dine  and  sup  with  him,  when  he  treated  him  very 
handsomely. 

Ali  Baba's  son  did  not  choose  to  lie  under  such 
obligation  to  Cogia  Houssain ;  but  was  so  much 
straitened  for  want  of  room  in  his  house,  that  he 
could  not  entertain  him.  He  therefore  acquainted 
his  father,  Ali  Baba,  with  his  wish  to  invite  him  in 
return. 

Ali  Baba  with  great  pleasure. took  the  treat  upon 
himself.  "  Son,"  said  he,  "  to-morrow  being  Friday, 
which  is  a  day  that  the  shops  of  such  great  mer- 
chants as  Cogia  Houssain  and  yourself  are  shut,  get 
him  to  accompany  you,  and  as  you  pass  by  my  door, 
call  in.  I  will  go  and  order  Morgiana  to  provide  a 
supper." 

The  next  day  Ali  Baba's  son  and  Cogia  Houssain 
met  by  appointment,  took  their  walk,  and  as  they  re- 
turned, Ali  Baba's  son  led  Cogia  Houssain  through 
the  street  where  his  father  lived,  and  when  they 
came  to  the  house,  stopped  and  knocked  at  the  door. 
''  This,  sir,"  said  he,  '*  is  my  father's  house,  who, 
from  the  account  I  have  given  him  of  your  friend- 
ship, charged  me  to  procure  him  the  honour  of  your 
acquaintance ;  and  I  desire  you  to  add  this  pleasure 
to  those  for  which  I  am  already  indebted  to  you." 

Though  it  was  the  sole  aim  of  Cogia  Houssain  to 


134     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

introduce  himself  into  AH  Baba's  house,  that  he 
might  kill  him,  without  hazarding  his  own  life  or 
making  any  noise,  yet  he  excused  himself,  and  of- 
fered to  take  his  leave;  but  a  slave  having  opened 
the  door,  Ali  Baba's  son  took  him  obligingly  by  the 
hand,  and,  in  a  manner,  forced  him  in. 

Ali  Baba  received  Cogia  Houssain  with  a  smiling 
countenance,  and  in  the  most  obliging  manner  he 
could  wish.  He  thanked  him  for  all  the  favours  he 
had  done  his  son ;  adding  withal,  the  obligation  was 
the  greater,  as  he  was  a  young  man,  not  much  ac- 
quainted with  the  world,  and  that  he  might  con- 
tribute to  his  information. 

Cogia  Houssain  returned  the  compliment  by  as- 
suring Ali  Baba  that  though  his  son  might  not  have 
acquired  the  experience  of  older  men,  he  had  good 
sense  equal  to  the  experience  of  many  others.  After 
a  little  more  conversation  on  different  subjects,  he 
offered  again  to  take  his  leave,  when  Ali  Baba,  stop- 
ping him,  said,  ''  Where  are  you  going,  sir,  in  so 
much  haste?  I  beg  you  would  do  me  the  honour 
to  sup  with  me,  though  my  entertainment  may  not 
be  worthy  your  acceptance ;  such  as  it  is,  I  heartily 
offer  it."  ''  Sir,"  replied  Cogia  Houssain,  "  I  am 
thoroughly  persuaded  of  your  good-will;  but  the 
truth  is,  I  can  eat  no  victuals  that  have  any  salt  in 
them ;  therefore  judge  how  I  should  feel  at  your  ta- 
ble." ''  If  that  is  the  only  reason,"  said  Ali  Baba, 
''  it  ought  not  to  deprive  me  of  the  honour  of  your 
company ;  for,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  no  salt  ever 
put  into  my  bread,  and  as  to  the  meat  we  shall  have 
to-night,  I  promise  you  there  shall  be  none  in  that 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  135 

Therefore  you  must  do  me  the  favour  to  stay.  I 
will  return  immediately." 

Ali  Baba  went  into  the  kitchen,  and  ordered  Mor- 
giana  to  put  no  salt  to  the  meat  that  was  to  be 
dressed  that  night ;  and  to  make  quickly  two  or  three 
ragouts  besides  what  he  had  ordered,  but  be  sure 
to  put  no  salt  in  them. 

Morgiana,  who  was  always  ready  to  obey  her  mas- 
ter, could  not  help  being  surprised  at  his  strange 
order.  "  Who  is  this  strange  man,"  said  she,  *'  who 
eats  no  salt  with  his  meat?  Your  supper  will  be 
spoiled,  if  I  keep  it  back  so  long."  "  Do  not  be 
angry,  Morgiana,"  replied  Ali  Baba ;  "  he  is  an  hon- 
est man,  therefore  do  as  I  bid  you." 

Morgiana  obeyed,  though  with  no  little  reluctance, 
and  had  a  curiosity  to  see  this  man  who  ate  no  salt. 
To  this  end,  when  she  had  finished  what  she  had  to 
do  in  the  kitchen,  she  helped  Abdalla  to  carry  up 
the  dishes;  and  looking  at  Cogia  Houssain,  knew 
him  at  first  sight,  notwithstanding  his  disguise,  to 
be  the  captain  of  the  robbers,  and  examining  him 
very  carefully,  perceived  that  he  had  a  dagger 
under  his  garment.  "  I  am  not  in  the  least  amazed," 
said  she  to  herself,  "  that  this  wicked  man,  who  is 
my  master's  greatest  enemy,  would  eat  no  salt  with 
him,  since  he  intends  to  assassinate  him;  but  I  will 
prevent  him." 

Morgiana,  while  they  were  at  supper,  determined 
in  her  own  mind  to  execute  one  of  the  boldest  acts 
ever  meditated.  When  Abdalla  came  for  the  dessert 
of  fruit,  and  had  put  it  with  the  wine  and  glasses 
before  Ali  Baba,  Morgiana  retired,  dressed  herself 
neatly,  with  a   suitable  head-dress  like  a   dancer, 


136     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

girded  her  waist  with  a  silver-gilt  girdle,  to  which 
there  hung  a  poniard  with  a  hilt  and  guard  of  the 
same  metal,  and  put  a  handsome  mask  on  her  face. 
When  she  had  thus  disguised  herself,  she  said  to 
Abdalla,  "  Take  your  tabour,  and  let  us  go  and 
divert  our  master  and  his  son's  friend,  as  we  do 
sometimes  when  he  is  alone." 

Abdalla  took  his  tabour  and  played  all  the  way 
into  the  hall  before  Morgiana,  who,  when  she  came 
to  the  door,  made  a  low  obeisance  by  way  of  asking 
leave  to  exhibit  her  skill,  while  Abdalla  left  off  play- 
ing. "  Come  in,  Morgiana,"  said  AH  Baba,  "  and  let 
Cogia  Houssain  see  what  you  can  do,  that  he  may  tell 
us  what  he  thinks  of  your  performance." 

Cogia  Houssain,  who  did  not  expect  this  diversion 
after  supper,  began  to  fear  he  should  not  be  able  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  he  thought  he 
had  found ;  but  hoped,  if  he  now  missed  his  aim,  to 
secure  it  another  time,  by  keeping  up  a  friendly  cor- 
respondence with  the  father  and  son ;  therefore, 
though  he  could  have  wished  Ali  Baba  would  have 
declined  the  dance,  he  pretended  to  be  obliged  to 
him  for  it,  and  had  the  complaisance  to  express  his 
satisfaction  at  what  he  said,  which  pleased  his  host. 

As  soon  as  Abdalla  saw  that  Ali  Baba  and  Cogia 
Houssain  had  done  talking,  he  began  to  play  on  the 
tabour,  and  accompanied  it  with  an  air,  to  which 
Morgiana,  who  was  an  excellent  performer,  danced 
in  such  a  manner  as  would  have  created  admiration 
in  any  company. 

After  she  had  danced  several  dances  with  much 
grace,  she  drew  the  poniard,  and  holding  it  in  her 
hand,  began  a  dance,  in  which  she  outdid  herself 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  137 

by  the  many  different  figures,  light  movements,  and 
the  surprising  leaps  and  wonderful  exertions  with 
which  she  accompanied  it.  Sometimes  she  presented 
the  poniard  to  one  breast,  sometimes  to  another,  and 
oftentimes  seemed  to  strike  her  own.  At  last,  she 
snatched  the  tabour  from  Abdalla  with  her  left 
hand,  and  holding  the  dagger  in  her  right  presented 
the  other  side  of  the  tabour,  after  the  manner  of 
those  who  get  a  livelihood  by  dancing,  and  solicit  the 
liberality  of  the  spectators. 

AH  Baba  put  a  piece  of  gold  into  the  tabour,  as 
did  also  his  son ;  and  Cogia  Houssain  seeing  that  she 
was  coming  to  him,  had  pulled  his  purse  out  of  his 
bosom  to  make  her  a  present;  but  while  he  was 
putting  his  hand  into  it,  Morgiana,  with  a  courage 
and  resolution  worthy  of  herself,  plunged  the 
poniard  into  his  heart. 

Ali  Baba  and  his  son,  shocked  at  this  action,  cried 
out  aloud.  ''  Unhappy  woman !  "  exclaimed  Ali 
Baba,  "  what  have  you  done  to  ruin  me  and  my 
family  ?  "  ''  It  was  to  preserve,  not  to  ruin  you," 
answered  Morgiana ;  "  for  see  here,"  continued  she, 
opening  the  pretended  Cogia  Houssain's  garment, 
and  showing  the  dagger,  "  what  an  enemy  you  had 
entertained?  Look  well  at  him,  and  you  will  find 
him  to  be  both  the  fictitious  oil  merchant,  and  the 
captain  of  the  gang  of  forty  robbers.  Remember, 
too,  that  he  would  eat  no  salt  with  you ;  and  what 
would  you  have  more  to  persuade  you  of  his  wicked 
design  ?  Before  I  saw  him,  I  suspected  him  as  soon 
as  you  told  me  you  had  such  a  guest.  I  knew 
him,  and  you  now  find  that  my  suspicion  was  not 
groundless." 


138    Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Ali  Baba,  who  immediately  felt  the  new  obliga- 
tion he  had  to  Morgiana  for  saving  his  life  a  second 
time,  embraced  her :  "  Morgiana,"  said  he,  ''  I  gave 
you  your  liberty,  and  then  promised  you  that  my 
gratitude  should  not  stop  there,  but  that  I  would  soon 
give  you  higher  proofs  of  its  sincerity,  which  I  now 
do  by  making  you  my  daughter-in-law."  Then  ad- 
dressing himself  to  his  son,  he  said,  "  I  believe  you, 
son,  to  be  so  dutiful  a  child,  that  you  will  not  refuse 
Morgiana  for  your  wife.  You  see  that  Cogia  Hous- 
sain  sought  your  friendship  with  a  treacherous  de- 
sign to  take  away  my  life ;  and  if  he  had  succeeded, 
there  is  no  doubt  but  he  would  have  sacrificed  you 
also  to  his  revenge.  Consider,  that  by  marrying 
Morgiana  you  marry  the  preserver  of  my  family  and 
your  own." 

The  son,  far  from  showing  any  dislike,  readily 
consented  to  the  marriage ;  not  only  because  he 
would  not  disobey  his  father,  but  also  because  it  was 
agreeable  to  his  inclination.  After  this  they  thought 
of  burying  the  captain  of  the  robbers  with  his  com- 
rades, and  did  it  so  privately  that  nobody  discovered 
their  bones  till  many  years  after,  when  no  one  had 
any  concern  in  the  publication  of  this  remarkable 
history.  A  few  days  afterward,  Ali  Baba  celebrated 
the  nuptials  of  his  son  and  Morgiana  with  great 
solemnity,  a  sumptuous  feast,  and  the  usual  dancing 
and  spectacles;  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  that 
his  friends  and  neighbours,  whom  he  invited,  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  true  motives  of  the  marriage ; 
but  that  those  who  were  not  unacquainted  with  Mor- 
giana's  good  qualities  commended  his  generosity  and 
goodness  of  heart.    Ali  Baba  did  not  visit  the  rob- 


The  History  of  AH  Baba  139 

bers'  cave  for  a  whole  year,  as  he  supposed  the  other 
two,  whom  he  could  get  no  account  of,  might  be 
alive. 

At  the  year's  end,  when  he  found  they  had  not 
made  any  attempt  to  disturb  him,  he  had  the  curiosity 
to  make  another  journey.  He  mounted  his  horse, 
and  when  he  came  to  the  cave  he  alighted,  tied  his 
horse  to  a  tree,  then  approaching  the  entrance,  and 
pronouncing  the  words,  "  Open,  Sesame !  "  the  door 
opened.  He  entered  the  cavern,  and  by  the  condi- 
tion he  found  things  in,  judged  that  nobody  had  been 
there  since  the  captain  had  fetched  the  goods  for  his 
shop.  From  this  time  he  believed  he  was  the  only 
person  in  the  world  who  had  the  secret  of  opening 
the  cave,  and  that  all  the  treasure  was  at  his  sole  dis- 
posal. He  put  as  much  gold  into  his  saddle-bag  as 
his  horse  would  carry,  and  returned  to  town.  Some 
years  later  he  carried  his  son  to  the  cave  and  taught 
him  the  secret,  which  he  handed  down  to  his  poster- 
ity, who,  using  their  good  fortune  with  moderation, 
lived  in  great  honour  and  splendour. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    SECOND    VOYAGE    OF   SINDBAD    THE    SAILOR 

I  DESIGNED,  after  my  first  voyage,  to  spend  the  rest 
of  my  days  at  Bagdad,  but  it  was  not  long  ere  I  grew 
weary  of  an  indolent  life,  and  I  put  to  sea  a  second 
time,  with  merchants  of  known  probity.  We  em- 
barked on  board  a  good  ship,  and,  after  recommend- 
ing ourselves  to  God,  set  sail.  We  traded  from  isl- 
and to  island,  and  exchanged  commodities  with  great 
profit.  One  day  we  landed  on  an  island  covered  with 
several  sorts  of  fruit  trees,  but  we  could  see  neither 
man  nor  animal.  We  walked  in  the  meadows,  along 
the  streams  that  watered  them.  While  some  diverted 
themselves  with  gathering  flowers,  and  others  fruits, 
I  took  my  wine  and  provisions,  and  sat  down  near 
a  stream  betwixt  two  high  trees,  which  formed  a 
thick  shade.  I  made  a  good  meal,  and  afterward  fell 
asleep.  I  cannot  tell  how  long  I  slept,  but  when 
I  awoke  the  ship  was  gone. 

In  this  sad  condition,  I  was  ready  to  die  with 
grief.  I  cried  out  in  agony,  beat  my  head  and  breast, 
and  threw  myself  upon  the  ground,  where  I  lay 
some  time  in  despair.  I  upbraided  myself  a  hun- 
dred times  for  not  being  content  with  the  produce 
of  my  first  voyage,  that  might  have  sufliced  me  all 
my  life.    But  all  this  was  in  vain,  and  my  repentance 


Second  Voyage  of  Sindbad  the  Sailor      141 

came  too  late.  At  last  I  resigned  myself  to  the  will 
of  God.  Not  knowing  what  to  do,  I  climbed  up  to 
the  top  of  a  lofty  tree,  from  whence  I  looked  about 
on  all  sides,  to  see  if  I  could  discover  anything  that 
could  give  me  hopes.  When  I  gazed  toward  the  sea 
I  could  see  nothing  but  sky  and  water ;  but  looking 
over  the  land,  I  beheld  something  white ;  and  com- 
ing down,  I  took  what  provision  I  had  left  and  went 
toward  it,  the  distance  being  so  great,  that  I  could 
not  distinguish  what  it  was. 

As  I  approached,  I  thought  it  to  be  a  white  dome, 
of  a  prodigious  height  and  extent ;  and  when  I  came 
up  to  it,  I  touched  it,  and  found  it  to  be  very  smooth. 
I  went  round  to  see  if  it  was  open  on  any  side,  but 
saw  it  was  not,  and  that  there  was  no  climbing  up 
to  the  top,  as  it  was  so  smooth.  It  was  at  least  fifty 
paces  round. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  about  to  set,  and  all  of  a 
sudden  the  sky  became  as  dark  as  if  it  had  been 
covered  with  a  thick  cloud.  I  was  much  astonished 
at  this  sudden  darkness,  but  much  more  when  I 
found  it  occasioned  by  a  bird  of  a  monstrous  size, 
that  came  flying  toward  me.  I  remembered  that  I 
had  often  heard  mariners  speak  of  a  miraculous  bird 
called  the  Roc,  and  conceived  that  the  great  dome 
which  I  so  much  admired  must  be  its  tgg.  In  short, 
the  bird  alighted,  and  sat  over  the  egg.  As  I  per- 
ceived her  coming,  I  crept  close  to  the  egg,  so  that 
I  had  before  me  one  of  the  legs  of  the  bird,  which 
was  as  big  as  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  I  tied  myself 
strongly  to  it  with  my  turban,  in  hopes  that  the  roc 
next  morning  would  carry  me  with  her  out  of  this 
desert  island.    After  having  passed  the  night  in  this 


142     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

condition,  the  bird  flew  away  as  soon  as  it  was  day- 
light, and  carried  me  so  high,  that  I  could  not  dis- 
cern the  earth ;  she  afterward  descended  with  so 
much  rapidity  that  I  lost  my  senses.  But  when  I 
found  myself  on  the  ground,  I  speedily  untied  the 
knot,  and  had  scarcely  done  so,  when  the  roc,  having 
taken  up  a  serpent  of  a  monstrous  length  in  her  bill, 
flew  away. 

The  spot  where  it  left  me  was  encompassed  on  all 
sides  by  mountains,  that  seemed  to  reach  above  the 
clouds,  and  so  steep  that  there  was  no  possibiHty 
of  getting  out  of  the  valley.  This  was  a  new  per- 
plexity; so  that  when  I  compared  this  place  with 
the  desert  island  from  which  the  roc  had  brought 
me,  I  found  that  I  had  gained  nothing  by  the 
change. 

As  I  walked  through  this  valley,  I  perceived  it 
was  strewed  with  diamonds,  some  of  which  were 
of  surprising  bigness.  I  took  pleasure  in  looking 
upon  them;  but  shortly  saw  at  a  distance  such  ob- 
jects as  greatly  diminished  my  satisfaction,  and 
which  I  could  not  view  without  terror,  namely,  a 
great  number  of  serpents,  so  monstrous  that  the 
least  of  them  was  capable  of  swallowing  an  elephant. 
They  retired  in  the  day-time  to  their  dens,  where 
they  hid  themselves  from  the  roc,  their  enemy,  and 
came  out  only  in  the  night. 

I  spent  the  day  in  walking  about  in  the  valley, 
resting  myself  at  times  in  such  places  as  I  thought 
most  convenient.  When  night  came  on  I  went  into 
a  cave,  where  I  thought  I  might  repose  in  safety. 
I  secured  the  entrance,  which  was  low  and  narrow, 
with  a  great  stone,  to  preserve  me  from  the  ser- 


Second  Voyage  of  Sindbad  the  Sailor      143 

pents;  but  not  so  far  as  to  exclude  the  light.  I 
supped  on  part  of  my  provisions,  but  the  serpents, 
which  began  hissing  round  me,  put  me  into  such  ex- 
treme fear  that  I  did  not  sleep.  When  day  appeared 
the  serpents  retired,  and  I  came  out  of  the  cave 
trembling.  I  can  justly  say  that  I  walked  upon  dia- 
monds without  feeling  any  inclination  to  touch  them. 
At  last  I  sat  down,  and  notwithstanding  my  appre- 
hensions, not  having  closed  my  eyes  during  the 
night,  fell  asleep,  after  having  eaten  a  Ijttle  more  of 
my  provisions.  But  I  had  scarcely  shut  my  eyes 
when  something  that  fell  by  me  with  a  great  noise 
awaked  me.  This  was  a  large  piece  of  raw  meat; 
and  at  the  same  time  I  saw  several  others  fall  down 
from  the  rocks  in  different  places. 

I  had  always  regarded  as  fabulous  what  I  had 
heard  sailors  and  others  relate  of  the  valley  of  dia- 
monds, and  of  the  stratagems  employed  by  mer- 
chants to  obtain  jewels  from  thence ;  but  now  I 
found  that  they  had  stated  nothing  but  the  truth. 
For  the  fact  is,  that  the  merchants  come  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  this  valley,  when  the  eagles  have 
young  ones,  and  throwing  great  joints  of  meat  into 
the  valley,  the  diamonds,  upon  whose  points  they 
fall,  stick  to  them ;  the  eagles,  which  are  stronger  in 
this  country  than  anywhere  else,  pounce  with  great 
force  upon  those  pieces  of  meat,  and  carry  them  to 
their  nests  on  the  precipices  of  the  rocks  to  feed  their 
young :  the  merchants  at  this  time  run  to  their  nests, 
disturb  and  drive  off  the  eagles  by  their  shouts,'  and 
take  away  the  diamonds  that  stick  to  the  meat. 

I  perceived  in  this  device  the  means  of  my  deliv- 
erance. 


144     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Having  collected  together  the  largest  diamonds 
I  could  find,  I  put  them  into  the  leather  bag  in  which 
I  used  to  carry  my  provisions,  I  took  the  largest  of 
the  pieces  of  meat,  tied  it  close  round  me  with  the 
cloth  of  my  turban,  and  then  laid  myself  upon  the 
ground,  with  my  face  downward,  the  bag  of  dia- 
monds being  made  fast  to  my  girdle. 

I  had  scarcely  placed  myself  in  this  posture  when 
one  of  the  eagles,  having  taken  me  up  with  the 
piece  of  meat  to  which  I  was  fastened,  carried  me 
to  his  nest  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The  mer- 
chants immediately  began  their  shouting  to  frighten 
the  eagles ;  and  when  they  had  obliged  them  to  quit 
their  prey,  one  of  them  came  to  the  nest  where  I 
was.  He  was  much  alarmed  when  he  saw  me;  but 
recovering  himself,  instead  of  inquiring  how  I  came 
thither,  began  to  quarrel  with  me,  and  asked  w^hy 
I  stole  his  goods  ?  "  You  will  treat  me,"  replied  I, 
*'  with  more  civility,  when  you  know  me  better.  Do 
not  be  uneasy ;  I  have  diamonds  enough  for  you  and 
myself,  more  than  all  the  other  merchants  together. 
Whatever  they  have  they  owe  to  chance;  but  I  se- 
lected for  myself,  in  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  those 
which  you  see  in  this  bag."  I  had  scarcely  done 
speaking,  when  the  other  merchants  came  crowding 
about  us,  much  astonished  to  see  me ;  but  they  were 
much  more  surprised  when  I  told  them  my  story. 

They  conducted  me  to  their  encampment;  and 
there  having  opened  my  bag,  they  were  surprised  at 
the  largeness  of  my  diamonds,  and  confessed  that 
they  had  never  seen  any  of  such  size  and  perfection. 
I  prayed  the  merchant  who  owned  the  nest  to  which 
I  had  been  carried    (for  every  merchant  had  his 


Second  Voyage  of  Sindhad  the  Sailor      145 

own)  to  take  as  many  for  his  share  as  he  pleased. 
He  contented  himself  with  one,  and  that,  too,  the 
least  of  them ;  and  when  I  pressed  him  to  take  more, 
without  fear  of  doing  me  any  injury,  "  No,"  said  he, 
''  I  am  very  well  satisfied  with  this,  which  is  valuable 
enough  to  save  me  the  trouble  of  making  any  more 
voyages,  and  will  raise  as  great  a  fortune  as  I  de- 
sire." 

^  spent  the  night  with  the  merchants,  to  whom  I 
/jlated  my  story  a  second  time,  for  the  satisfaction 
of  those  who  had  not  heard  it.  I  could  not  moderate 
my  joy  when  I  found  myself  delivered  from  the 
danger  I  have  mentioned.  I  thought  myself  in  a 
dream,  and  could  scarcely  believe  myself  out  of  dan- 
ger. 

The  merchants  had  thrown  their  pieces  of  meat 
into  the  valley  for  several  days  ;  and  each  of  them  be- 
ing satisfied  with  the  diamonds  that  had  fallen  to  his 
lot,  we  left  the  place  the  next  morning,  and  travelled 
near  high  mountains,  where  there  were  serpents  of 
a  prodigious  length,  which  we  had  the  good  fortune 
to  escape.  We  took  shipping  at  the  first  port  we 
reached,  and  touched  at  the  isle  of  Roha,  where  the 
trees  grow  that  yield  camphire.  This  tree  is  so  large, 
and  its  branches  so  thick,  that  one  hundred  men  may 
easily  sit  under  its  shade.  The  juice,  of  which  the 
camphire  is  made,  exudes  from  a  hole  bored  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  tree,  and  is  received  in  a  vessel, 
where  it  thickens  to  a  consistency,  and  becomes  what 
we  call  camphire.  After  the  juice  is  thus  drawn  out, 
the  tree  withers  and  dies. 

In  this  island  is  also  found  the  rhinoceros,  an  ani- 
mal less  than  the  elephant,  but  larger  than  the  buf- 


146     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

falo.  It  has  a  horn  upon  its  nose,  about  a  cubit  in 
length ;  this  horn  is  solid,  and  cleft  through  the  mid- 
dle. The  rhinoceros  fights  with  the  elephant,  runs 
his  horn  into  his  belly,  and  carries  him  off  upon  his 
head ;  but  the  blood  and  the  fat  of  the  elephant  run- 
ning into  his  eyes  and  making  him  blind,  he  falls  to 
the  ground ;  and  then,  strange  to  relate,  the  roc 
comes  and  carries  them  both  away  in  her  claws,  for 
food  for  her  young  ones. 

I  pass  over  many  other  things  peculiar  to  this 
island,  lest  I  should  weary  you.  Here  I  exchanged 
some  of  my  diamonds  for  merchandise.  From  hence 
we  went  to  other  islands,  and  at  last,  having  touched 
at  several  trading  towns  of  the  continent,  we  landed 
at  Bussorah,  from  whence  I  proceeded  to  Bagdad. 
There  I  immediately  gave  large  presents  to  the  poor, 
and  lived  honourably  upon  the  vast  riches  I  had 
brought,  and  gained  with  so  much  fatigue. 

Thus  Sindbad  ended  the  relation  of  the  second 
voyage,  gave  Hindbad  another  hundred  sequins,  and 
invited  him  to  come  the  next  day  to  hear  the  account 
of  the  third. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE    WHITE    CAT 


There  was  once  a  king  who  had  three  sons,  all 
remarkably  handsome  in  their  persons,  and  in  their 
tempers  brave  and  noble.  Some  wicked  courtiers 
made  the  king  believe  that  the  princes  were  impa- 
tient to  wear  the  crown,  and  that  they  were  contriv- 
ing a  plot  to  deprive  him  of  his  sceptre  and  his 
kingdom.  The  king  felt  he  was  growing  old ;  but 
as  he  found  himself  as  capable  of  governing  as  he 
had  ever  been,  he  had  no  inclination  to  resign  his 
power;  and  therefore,  that  he  might  pass  the  rest 
of  his  days  peaceably,  he  determined  to  employ  the 
princes  in  such  a  manner,  as  at  once  to  give  each  of 
them  the  hope  of  succeeding  to  the  crown,  and  fill 
up  the  time  they  might  otherwise  spend  in  so  un- 
dutiful  a  manner.  He  sent  for  them  to  his  cabinet, 
and  after  conversing  with  them  kindly,  he  added : 
"  You  must  be  sensible,  my  dear  children,  that  my 
great  age  prevents  me  from  attending  so  closely  as 
I  have  hitherto  done  to  state  affairs.  I  fear  this 
may  be  injurious  to  my  subjects;  I  therefore  desire 
to  place  my  crown  on  the  head  of  one  of  you,  but  it  is 
no  more  than  just,  that  in  return  for  such  a  present, 
you  should  procure  me  some  amusement  in  my  re- 
tirement, before  I  leave  the  Capital  for  ever.    I  can- 


148     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

not  help  thinking,  that  a  Httle  dog,  that  is  handsome, 
faithful,  and  engaging,  would  be  the  very  thing  to 
make  me  happy ;  so  that  without  bestowing  a  prefer- 
ence on  either  of  you,  I  declare  that  he  who  brings 
me  the  most  perfect  little  dog  shall  be  my  successor. 
The  princes  were  much  surprised  at  the  fancy  of 
their  father  to  have  a  little  dog,  yet  they  accepted 
the  proposition  with  pleasure :  and  accordingly,  after 
taking  leave  of  the  king,  who  presented  them  with 
abundance  of  money  and  jewels,  and  appointed  that 
day  twelvemonth  for  their  return,  they  set  off  on 
their  travels. 

Before  taking  leave  of  each  other,  however,  they 
took  some  refreshment  together,  in  an  old  palace 
about  three  miles  out  of  town  where  they  agreed  to 
meet  in  the  same  place  on  that  day  twelvemonth, 
and  go  all  together  with  their  presents  to  court. 
They  also  agreed  to  change  their  names,  that  they 
might  be  unknown  to  every  one  in  their  travels. 

Each  took  a  different  road;  but  it  is  intended  to 
relate  the  adventures  of  only  the  youngest,  who  was 
the  handsomest,  most  amiable,  and  accomplished 
prince  that  had  ever  been  seen.  No  day  passed,  as 
he  travelled  from  town  to  town,  that  he  did  not 
buy  all  the  handsome  dogs  that  fell  in  his  way ;  and 
as  soon  as  he  saw  one  that  was  handsomer  than  those 
he  had  before,  he  made  a  present  of  the  last;  for 
twenty  servants  would  have  been  scarcely  sufficient 
to  take  care  of  all  the  dogs  he  was  continually  buy- 
ing. 

At  length,  wandering  he  knew  not  whither,  he 
found  himself  in  a  forest ;  night  suddenly  came  on, 
and  with  it  a  violent  storm  of  thunder,  lightning, 


The  White  Cat  149 

and  rain.  To  add  to  his  perplexity,  he  lost  his  path, 
and  could  find  no  way  out  of  the  forest.  After  he 
had  groped  about  for  a  long  time,  he  perceived  a 
light,  which  made  him  suppose  that  he  was  not  far 
from  some  house :  he  accordingly  pursued  his  way 
towards  it,  and  in  a  short  time  found  himself  at  the 
gates  of  the  most  magnificent  palace  he  ever  beheld. 
The  door  that  opened  into  it  was  made  of  gold,  cov- 
ered with  sapphire  stones,  which  cast  so  resplendent 
a  brightness  over  everything  around,  that  scarcely 
could  the  strongest  eyesight  bear  to  look  at  it.  This 
was  the  light  the  prince  had  seen  from  the  forest. 
The  walls  of  the  building  were  of  transparent  porce- 
lain, variously  coloured,  and  represented  the  history 
of  all  the  fairies  that  had  existed  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world.  The  prince  coming  back  to  the 
golden  door,  observed  a  deer's  foot  fastened  to  a 
chain  of  diamonds ;  he  could  not  help  wondering  at 
the  magnificence  he  beheld,  and  the  security  in  which 
the  inhabitants  seemed  to  live ;  '*  for,"  said  he  to  him- 
self, "  nothing  can  be  easier  than  for  thieves  to  steal 
this  chain,  and  as  many  of  the  sapphire  stones  as 
would  make  their  fortunes."  He  pulled  the  chain, 
and  heard  a  bell  the  sound  of  which  was  exquisite. 
In  a  few  moments  the  door  was  opened ;  but  he  per- 
ceived nothing  but  twelve  hands  in  the  air,  each  hold- 
ing a  torch.  The  prince  was  so  astonished  that  he 
durst  not  move  a  step;  when  he  felt  himself  gently 
pushed  on  by  some  other  hands  from  behind  him. 
He  walked  on,  in  great  perplexity,  till  he  entered  a 
vestibule  inlaid  with  porphyry  and  lapis-stone. 
There  the  most  melodious  voice  he  had  ever  heard 
chanted  the  following  words: 


150     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  Welcome,  prince,  no  danger  fear, 
Mirth  and  love  attend  you  here  ; 
You  shall  break  the  magic  spell, 
That  on  a  beauteous  lady  fell. 

"  Welcome,  prince,  no  danger  fear, 
Mirth  and  love  attend  you  here." 

The  prince  now  advanced  v^^ith  confidence,  won- 
dering what  these  words  could  mean ;  the  hands 
moved  him  forward  towards  a  large  door  of  coral, 
which  opened  of  itself  to  give  him  admittance  into  a 
splendid  apartment  built  of  mother-of-pearl,  through 
which  he  passed  into  others  so  richly  adorned  with 
paintings  and  jewels,  and  so  resplendently  lighted 
with  thousands  of  lamps,  girandoles  and  lustres,  that 
the  prince  imagined  he  must  be  in  an  enchanted  pal- 
ace. When  he  had  passed  through  sixty  apartments, 
all  equally  splendid,  he  was  stopped  by  the  hands, 
and  a  large  easy-chair  advanced  of  itself  towards  the 
chimney;  and  the  hands,  which  he  observed  were 
extremely  white  and  delicate,  took  off  his  wet 
clothes,  and  supplied  their  place  with  the  finest  linen 
imaginable,  and  then  added  a  commodious  wrap- 
ping-gown, embroidered  with  the  brightest  gold,  and 
all  over  enriched  with  pearls.  The  hands  next 
brought  him  an  elegant  dressing-table,  and  combed 
his  hair  so  very  gently  that  he  scarcely  felt  their 
touch.  They  held  before  him  a  beautiful  basin,  filled 
with  perfumes,  for  him  to  wash  his  face  and  hands, 
and  afterwards  took  off  the  wrapping-gown  and 
dressed  him  in  a  suit  of  clothes  of  still  greater  splen- 
dour. When  his  dress  was  complete,  they  conducted 


The  White  Cat  151 

him  to  an  apartment  he  had  not  yet  seen,  and  which 
also  was  magnificently  furnished.  There  was  in  it  a 
table  spread  for  a  repast,  and  everything  upon  it  was 
of  the  purest  gold  adorned  with  jewels.  The  prince 
observed  there  were  two  covers  set,  and  was  won- 
dering who  was  to  be  his  companion,  when  his  at- 
tention was  suddenly  caught  by  a  small  figure  not 
a  foot  high,  which  just  then  entered  the  room,  and 
advanced  towards  him.  It  had  on  a  long  black  veil, 
and  was  supported  by  two  cats  dressed  in  mourning, 
and  with  swords  by  their  sides :  they  were  followed 
by  a  numerous  retinue  of  cats,  some  carrying  cages 
full  of  rats  and  others  mousetraps  full  of  mice. 

The  prince  was  at  a  loss  what  to  think.  The  little 
figure  now  approached,  and  throwing  aside  her  veil, 
he  beheld  a  most  beautiful  white  cat.  She  seemed 
young  and  melancholy,  and  addressing  herself  to  the 
prince,  she  said,  "  Young  prince,  you  are  welcome ; 
your  presence  affords  me  the  greatest  pleasure." 
"  Madam,"  replied  the  prince,  '*  I  would  fain  thank 
you  for  your  generosity,  nor  can  I  help  observing 
that  you  must  be  an  extraordinary  creature  to  pos- 
sess with  your  present  form  the  gift  of  speech  and 
the  magnificent  palace  1  have  seen."  "  All  this  is 
very  true,"  answered  the  beautiful  cat,  '*  but,  prince, 
I  am  not  fond  of  talking,  and  least  of  all  do  I  like 
compliments ;  let  us  therefore  sit  down  to  supper." 
The  trunkless  hands  then  placed  the  dishes  on  the 
table,  and  the  prince  and  white  cat  seated  them- 
selves. The  first  dish  was  a  pie  made  of  young 
pigeons,  and  the  next  was  a  fricassee  of  the  fattest 
mice.  The  view  of  the  one  made  the  prince  almost 
afraid  to  taste  the  other,  till  the  white  cat,   who 


152     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

guessed  his  thoughts,  assured  him  that  there  were 
certain  dishes  at  table  in  which  there  was  not  a  mor- 
sel of  either  rat  or  mouse,  which  had  been  dressed  on 
purpose  for  him.  Accordingly  he  ate  heartily  of 
such  as  she  recommended.  When  supper  was  over, 
the  prince  perceived  that  the  white  cat  had  a  portrait 
set  in  gold  hanging  to  one  of  her  feet.  He  begged 
her  permission  to  look  at  it;  when,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, he  saw  the  portrait  of  a  handsome  young  man, 
that  exactly  resembled  himself!  He  thought  there 
was  something  very  extraordinary  in  all  this :  yet,  as 
the  white  cat  sighed  and  looked  very  sorrowful,  he 
did  not  venture  to  ask  any  questions.  He  con- 
versed with  her  on  different  subjects,  and  found  her 
extremely  well  versed  in  every  thing  that  was  pass- 
ing in  the  world.  When  night  was  far  advanced,  the 
white  cat  w^ished  him  a  good  night,  and  he  was  con- 
ducted by  the  hands  to  his  bedchamber,  which  was 
different  still  from  any  thing  he  had  seen  in  the  pal- 
ace, being  hung  with  the  wings  of  butterflies,  mixed 
with  the  most  curious  feathers.  His  bed  was  of 
gauze,  festooned  with  bunches  of  the  gayest  ribands, 
and  the  looking-glasses  reached  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling.  The  prince  was  undressed  and  put  into  bed 
by  the  hands,  without  speaking  a  word.  He  how- 
ever slept  little,  and  in  the  morning  was  awaked  by  a 
confused  noise.  The  hands  took  him  out  of  bed,  and 
put  on  him  a  handsome  hunting-jacket.  He  looked 
into  the  court-yard,  and  perceived  more  than  five 
hundred  cats,  busily  employed  in  preparing  for  the 
field,  for  this  was  a  day  of  festival.  Presently  the 
white  cat  came  to  his  apartment ;  and  having  politely 
inquired  after  his  health,  she  invited  him  to  partake 


The  White  Cat  153 

of  their  amusement.  The  prince  willingly  accepted, 
mounted  a  wooden  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  which 
had  been  prepared  for  him,  and  which  he  was  as- 
sured would  gallop  to  admiration.  The  beautiful 
white  cat  mounted  a  monkey,  dressed  in  a  dragoon's 
bonnet,  which  made  her  look  so  fierce  that  all  the 
rats  and  mice  ran  away  in  the  utmost  terror. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  the  horns  sounded,  and 
away  they  went;  no  hunting  was  ever  more  agree- 
able; the  cats  ran  faster  than  the  hares  and  rab- 
bits; and  when  they  caught  any  they  were  hunted 
in  the  presence  of  the  white  cat,  and  a  thousand 
cunning  tricks  were  played.  Nor  were  the  birds  in 
safety ;  for  the  monkey  made  nothing  of  climbing  up 
the  trees,  with  the  white  cat  on  his  back,  to  the  nest 
of  the  young  eagles.  When  the  hunting  was  over, 
the  whole  retinue  returned  to  the  palace;  and  the 
white  cat  immediately  exchanged  her  dragoon's  cap 
for  the  veil,  and  sat  down  to  supper  with  the  prince, 
who,  being  very  hungry,  ate  heartily,  and  afterwards 
partook  with  her  of  the  most  delicious  liqueurs,  which 
being  often  repeated  made  him  forget  that  he  was  to 
procure  a  little  dog  for  the  old  king.  He  thought 
no  longer  of  any  thing  but  of  pleasing  the  sweet  lit- 
tle creature  who  received  him  so  courteously ;  ac- 
cordingly every  day  was  spent  in  new  amusements. 
The  prince  had  almost  forgotten  his  country  and  re- 
lations, and  sometimes  even  regretted  that  he  was 
not  a  cat,  so  great  was  his  affection  for  his  mewing 
companions.  '*  Alas !  "  said  he  to  the  white  cat, 
"  how  will  it  afflict  me  to  leave  you  whom  I  love  so 
much !  Either  make  yourself  a  lady,  or  make  me  a 
cat."    She  smiled  at  the  prince's  wish,  but  made  him 


154     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

scarcely  any  reply.  At  length  the  twelvemonth  was 
nearly  expired;  the  white  cat,  who  knew  the  very 
day  when  the  prince  was  to  reach  his  father's  palace, 
reminded  him  that  he  had  but  three  days  longer  to 
look  for  a  perfect  little  dog.  The  prince,  astonished 
at  his  own  forgetfulness,  began  to  afflict  himself; 
when  the  cat  told  him  not  to  be  so  sorrowful,  since 
she  would  not  only  provide  him  with  a  little  dog, 
but  also  with  a  wooden  horse  which  should  convey 
him  safely  in  less  than  twelve  hours.  "  Look  here," 
said  she,  showing  him  an  acorn,  "  this  contains  what 
you  desire."  The  prince  put  the  acorn  to  his  ear,  and 
heard  the  barking  of  a  little  dog.  Transported  with 
joy,  he  thanked  the  cat  a  thousand  times,  and  the 
next  day,  bidding  her  tenderly  adieu,  he  set  out  on 
his  return. 

The  prince  arrived  first  at  the  place  of  rendezvous, 
and  was  soon  joined  by  his  brothers ;  they  mutually 
embraced,  and  began  to  give  an  account  of  their 
success ;  when  the  youngest  showed  them  only  a  little 
mongrel  cur,  telling  them  he  thought  it  could  not 
fail  to  please  the  king  from  its  extraordinary  beauty, 
the  brothers  trod  on  each  other's  toes  under  the  ta- 
ble ;  as  much  as  to  say,  we  have  not  much  to  fear 
from  this  sorry  looking  animal.  The  next  day 
they  went  together  to  the  palace.  The  dogs  of  the 
two  elder  princes  were  lying  on  cushions,  and  so 
curiously  wrapped  around  with  embroidered  quilts, 
that  one  would  scarcely  venture  to  touch  them.  The 
youngest  produced  his  cur,  dirty  all  over,  and  all 
wondered  how  the  prince  could  hope  to  receive  a 
crown  for  such  a  present.  The  king  examined  the 
two  little  dogs  of  the  elder  princes,  and  declared  he 


The  White  Cat  155 

thought  them  so  equally  beautiful  that  he  knew  not 
to  which,  with  justice,  he  could  give  the  preference. 
They  accordingly  began  to  dispute ;  when  the  young- 
est prince,  taking  his  acorn  from  his  pocket,  soon 
ended  their  contention ;  for  a  little  dog  appeared 
which  could  with  ease  go  through  the  smallest  ring, 
and  was  besides  a  miracle  of  beauty.  The  king 
could  not  possibly  hesitate  in  declaring  his  satis- 
faction ;  yet,  as  he  was  not  more  inclined  than  the 
year  before  to  part  with  his  crown,  he  could  think 
of  nothing  more  to  his  purpose  than  telling  his 
sons  that  he  was  extremely  obliged  to  them  for  the 
pains  they  had  taken ;  and  that  since  they  had  suc- 
ceeded so  well,  he  could  not  but  wish  they  would 
make  a  second  attempt;  he  therefore  begged  they 
would  take  another  year  for  procuring  him  a  piece 
of  cambric,  so  fine  as  to  be  drawn  through  the  eye  of 
a  small  needle. 

The  three  princes  thought  this  very  hard  ;  yet  they 
set  out  in  obedience  to  the  king's  command.  The 
two  eldest  took  different  roads,  and  the  youngest  re- 
mounted his  wooden  horse,  and  in  a  short  time  ar- 
rived at  the  palace  of  his  beloved  white  cat,  who  re- 
ceived him  with  the  greatest  joy,  while  the  trunkless 
hands  helped  him  to  dismount,  and  provided  him 
with  immediate  refreshments ;  after  which  the  prince 
gave  the  white  cat  an  account  of  the  admiration 
which  had  been  bestowed  on  the  beautiful  little  dog, 
and  informed  her  of  his  father's  farther  injunction. 
*'  Make  yourself  perfectly  easy,  dear  prince,"  said 
she,  "  I  have  in  my  palace  some  cats  that  are  per- 
fectly clever  in  making  such  cambric  as  the  king 
requires ;  so  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  give  me 


156     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  pleasure  of  your  company  while  it  is  making; 
and  I  will  procure  you  all  the  amusement  possible." 
She  accordingly  ordered  the  most  curious  fireworks 
to  be  played  off  in  sight  of  the  window  of  the  apart- 
ment in  which  they  were  sitting;  and  nothing  but 
festivity  and  rejoicing  was  heard  throughout  the 
palace  for  the  prince's  return.  As  the  white  cat 
continually  gave  proofs  of  an  excellent  understand- 
ing, the  prince  was  by  no  means  tired  of  her  com- 
pany ;  she  talked  with  him  of  state  affairs,  of  thea- 
tres, of  fashions;  in  short,  she  was  at  a  loss  on  no 
subject  whatever;  so  that  when  the  prince  was 
alone,  he  had  plenty  of  amusement  in  thinking  how 
it  could  possibly  be  that  a  small  white  cat  could 
be  endowed  with  all  the  powers  of  human  creatures. 
The  twelvemonth  in  this  manner  again  passed  in- 
sensibly away ;  but  the  cat  took  care  to  remind  the 
prince  of  his  duty  in  proper  time.  ''  For  once,  my 
prince,"  said  she,  "  I  will  have  the  pleasure  of  equip- 
ping you  as  suits  your  high  rank ;  "  when  looking 
into  the  courtyard,  he  saw  a  superb  car,  ornamented 
all  over  with  gold,  silver,  pearls  and  diamonds,  drawn 
by  twelve  horses  as  white  as  snow,  and  harnessed  in 
the  most  sumptuous  trappings ;  and  behind  the  car  a 
thousand  guards  richly  apparelled  were  in  waiting  to 
attend  on  the  prince's  person.  She  then  presented 
him  with  a  nut :  ''  You  will  find  in  it,"  said  she,  ''  the 
piece  of  cambric  I  promised  you.  Do  not  break  the 
shell  till  you  are  in  the  presence  of  the  king  your 
father."  Then,  to  prevent  the  acknowledgments 
which  the  prince  was  about  to  offer,  she  hastily  bade 
him  adieu.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  speed  with 
which  the  snow-white  horses  conveyed  this  fortunate 


The  White  Cat  157 

prince  to  his  father's  palace,  where  his  brothers  had 
just  arrived  before  him.  They  embraced  each  other, 
and  demanded  an  immediate  audience  of  the  king, 
who  received  them  with  the  greatest  kindness.  The 
princes  hastened  to  place  at  the  feet  of  his  majesty 
the  curious  present  he  had  required  them  to  procure. 
The  eldest  produced  a  piece  of  cambric  that  was  so 
extremely  fine,  that  his  friends  had  no  doubt  of  its 
passing  the  eye  of  the  needle,  which  was  now  deliv- 
ered to  the  king,  having  been  kept  locked  up  in  the 
custody  of  his  majesty's  treasurer  all  the  time. 
Every  one  supposed  he  would  certainly  obtain  the 
crown.  But  when  the  king  tried  to  draw  it  through 
the  eye  of  the  needle,  it  would  not  pass,  though  it 
failed  but  very  little.  Then  came  the  second  prince, 
who  made  as  sure  of  obtaining  the  crown  as  his 
brother  had  done ;  but,  alas !  with  no  better  success : 
for  though  his  piece  of  cambric  was  exquisitely  fine, 
yet  it  could  not  be  drawn  through  the  eye  of  the 
needle.  It  was  now  the  youngest  prince's  turn,  who 
accordingly  advanced,  and  opening  an  elegant  little 
box  inlaid  with  jewels,  he  took  out  a  walnut,  and 
cracked  the  shell,  imagining  he  should  immediately 
perceive  his  piece  of  cambric;  but  what  was  his  as- 
tonishment to  see  nothing  but  a  filbert !  He  did  not 
however  lose  his  hopes ;  he  cracked  the  filbert,  and  it 
presented  him  with  a  cherry-stone.  The  lords  of  the 
court,  who  had  assembled  to  witness  this  extraordi- 
nary trial,  could  not,  any  more  than  the  princes  his 
brothers,  refrain  from  laughing,  to  think  he  should 
be  so  silly  as  to  claim  with  them  the  crown  on  no  bet- 
ter pretensions.  The  prince  however  cracked  the 
cherry-stone,   which   was  filled   with   a   kernel :   he 


158     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

divided  it,  and  found  in  the  middle  a  grain  of  wheat, 
and  in  that  grain  a  millet  seed.  He  was  now  abso- 
lutely confounded,  and  could  not  help  muttering  be- 
tween his  teeth :  "  O  white  cat,  white  cat,  thou  hast 
deceived  me !  "  At  this  instant  he  felt  his  hand 
scratched  by  the  claw  of  a  cat :  upon  which  he  again 
took  courage,  and  opening  the  grain  of  millet  seed, 
to  the  astonishment  of  all  present,  he  drew  forth  a 
piece  of  cambric  four  hundred  yards  long,  and  fine 
enough  to  be  drawn  with  perfect  ease  through  the 
eye  of  the  needle.  When  the  king  found  he  had  no 
pretext  left  for  refusing  the  crown  to  his  youngest 
son,  he  sighed  deeply,  and  it  was  easy  to  be  seen  that 
he  was  sorry  for  the  prince's  success.  *'  My  sons," 
said  he,  ''  it  is  so  gratifying  to  the  heart  of  a  father 
to  receive  proofs  of  his  children's  love  and  obedi- 
ence, that  I  cannot  refuse  myself  the  satisfaction  of 
requiring  of  you  one  thing  more.  You  must  under- 
take another  expedition;  and  whichever,  by  the  end 
of  a  year,  brings  me  the  most  beautiful  lady,  shall 
marry  her,  and  obtain  my  crown." 

So  they  again  took  leave  of  the  king  and  of  each 
other,  and  set  out  without  delay,  and  in  less  than 
twelve  hours  our  young  prince  arrived  in  his  splen- 
did car  at  the  palace  of  his  dear  white  cat.  Every 
thing  went  on  as  before,  till  the  end  of  another  year. 
At  length  only  one  day  remained  of  the  year,  when 
the  white  cat  thus  addressed  him :  ''  To-morrow,  my 
prince,  you  must  present  yourself  at  the  palace  of 
your  father,  and  give  him  a  proof  of  your  obedience. 
It  depends  only  on  yourself  to  conduct  thither  the 
most  beautiful  princess  ever  yet  beheld,  for  the  time 
is  come  when  the  enchantment  by  which  I  am  bound 


The  White  Cat  159 

may  be  ended.  You  must  cut  off  my  head  and  tail," 
continued  she,  **  and  throw  them  into  the  fire." 
**  I !  "  said  the  prince  hastily,  *'  I  cut  off  your  head 
and  tail !  You  surely  mean  to  try  my  affection, 
which,  believe  me,  beautiful  cat,  is  truly  yours." 
**  You  mistake  me,  generous  prince,"  said  she,  *'  I 
do  not  doubt  your  regard ;  but  if  you  wish  to  see  me 
in  any  other  form  than  that  of  a  cat,  you  must  con- 
sent to  do  as  I  desire.  Then  you  will  have  done  me  a 
service  I  shall  never  be  able  sufficiently  to  repay." 
The  prince's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  spoke,  yet 
he  considered  himself  obliged  to  undertake  the 
dreadful  task,  and  the  cat  continuing  to  press  him 
with  greater  eagerness,  with  a  trembling  hand  he 
drew  his  sword,  cut  off  her  head  and  tail,  and  threw 
them  into  the  fire.  No  sooner  was  this  done,  than 
the  most  beautiful  lady  his  eyes  had  ever  seen  stood 
before  him :  and  before  he  had  sufficiently  recovered 
from  his  surprise  to  speak  to  her,  a  long  train  of  at- 
tendants, who,  at  the  same  moment  as  their  mistress, 
were  changed  to  their  natural  shapes,  came  to  offer 
their  congratulations  to  the  queen,  and  inquire  her 
commands.  She  received  them  with  the  greatest  kind- 
ness ;  and  ordering  them  to  withdraw,  she  thus  ad- 
dressed the  astonished  prince.  *'  Do  not  imagine, 
dear  prince,  that  I  have  always  been  a  cat,  or  that  I 
am  of  obscure  birth.  My  father  was  the  monarch  of 
six  kingdoms ;  he  tenderly  loved  my  mother,  leaving 
her  always  at  liberty  to  follow  her  own  inclinations. 
Her  prevailing  passion  was  to  travel ;  and  a  short 
time  before  my  birth,  having  heard  of  some  fairies 
who  were  in  possession  of  the  largest  gardens  filled 
with  the  most  delicious  fruits,  she  had  so  strong  a 


i6o     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

desire  to  eat  some  of  them,  that  she  set  out  for  the 
country  in  which  they  Hved.  She  arrived  at  their 
abode  which  she  found  to  be  a  ma^ificent  palace, 
on  all  sides  glittering  with  gold  and  precious  stones. 
She  knocked  a  long  time  at  the  gates;  but  no  one 
came,  nor  could  she  perceive  the  least  sign  that  it  had 
any  inhabitant.  The  difficulty,  however,  did  but  in- 
crease the  violence  of  my  mother's  longing ;  for  she 
saw  the  tops  of  the  trees  above  the  garden  walls 
loaded  with  the  most  luscious  fruits.  The  queen, 
in  despair,  ordered  her  attendants  to  place  tents 
close  to  the  door  of  the  palace ;  but  having  waited  six 
weeks,  without  seeing  any  one  pass  the  gates,  she 
fell  sick  of  vexation,  and  her  life  was  despaired  of. 
"  One  night,  as  she  lay  half  asleep,  she  turned  her- 
self about,  and  opening  her  eyes,  perceived  a  little 
old  woman,  very  ugly  and  deformed,  seated  in  the 
easy  chair  by  her  bedside.  '  I,  and  my  sister  fairies,' 
said  she,  'take  it  very  ill  that  your  majesty  should  so 
obstinately  persist  in  getting  some  of  our  fruit ;  but 
since  so  precious  a  life  is  at  stake,  we  consent  to  give 
you  as  much  as  you  can  carry  away,  provided  you 
will  give  us  in  return  what  we  shall  ask.'  '  Ah !  kind 
fairy,'  cried  the  queen,  '  I  will  give  you  anything  I 
possess,  even  my  very  kingdoms,  on  condition  that  I 
eat  of  your  fruit.'  The  old  fairy  then  informed  the 
queen  that  what  they  required  was,  that  she  would 
give  them  the  child  she  was  going  to  have,  as  soon 
as  she  should  be  born ;  adding,  that  every  possible 
care  should  be  taken  of  her,  and  that  she  should  be- 
come the  most  accomplished  princess.  The  queen 
replied,  that  however  cruel  the  condition,  she  must 
accept  it,  since  nothing  but  the  fruit  could  save  her 


The  White  Cat  i6i 

life.  In  short,  dear  prince,"  continued  the  lady,  ''  my 
mother  instantly  got  out  of  bed,  was  dressed  by  her 
attendants,  entered  the  palace,  and  satisfied  her  long- 
ing. When  the  queen  had  eaten  her  fill,  she  ordered 
four  thousand  mules  to  be  procured,  and  loaded  with 
the  fruit,  which  had  the  virtue  of  continuing  all  the 
year  round  in  a  state  of  perfection.  Thus  provided, 
she  returned  to  the  king,  my  father,  who  with  the 
whole  court,  received  her  with  rejoicings,  as  it  was 
before  imagined  she  would  die  of  disappointment. 
All  this  time  the  queen  said  nothing  to  my  father  of 
the  promise  she  had  made,  to  give  her  daughter  to  the 
fairies ;  so  that,  when  the  time  was  come  that  she 
expected  my  birth,  she  grew  very  melancholy ;  till  at 
length,  being  pressed  by  the  king,  she  declared  to  him 
the  truth.  Nothing  could  exceed  his  affliction,  when 
he  heard  that  his  only  child,  when  born,  was  to  be 
given  to  the  fairies.  He  bore  it,  however,  as  well  as 
he  could,  for  fear  of  adding  to  my  mother's  grief; 
and  also  believing  he  should  find  some  means  of 
keeping  me  in  a  place  of  safety,  which  the  fairies 
would  not  be  able  to  approach.  As  soon  therefore  as 
I  was  born,  he  had  me  conveyed  to  a  tower  in  the 
palace,  to  which  there  were  twenty  flights  of  stairs, 
and  a  door  to  each,  of  which  my  father  kept  the  key, 
so  that  none  came  near  me  without  his  consent. 
When  the  fairies  heard  of  what  had  been  done,  they 
sent  first  to  demand  me ;  and  on  my  father's  refusal, 
they  let  loose  a  monstrous  dragon,  who  devoured 
men,  women  and  children,  and  the  breath  of  whose 
nostrils  destroyed  every  thing  it  came  near,  so  that 
the  trees  and  plants  began  to  die  in  great  abundance. 
The  grief  of  the  king,  at  seeing  this,  could  scarcely 


1 62     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

be  equalled;  and  finding  that  his  whole  kingdom 
would  in  a  short  time  be  reduced  to  famine,  he  con- 
sented to  give  me  into  their  hands.  I  was  accord- 
ingly laid  in  a  cradle  of  mother-of-pearl,  ornamented 
with  gold  and  jewels,  and  carried  to  their  palace, 
when  the  dragon  immediately  disappeared.  The 
fairies  placed  me  in  a  tower  of  their  palace,  ele- 
gantly furnished,  but  to  which  there  was  no  door,  so 
that  whoever  approached  was  obliged  to  come  by  the 
windows,  which  were  a  great  height  from  the 
ground :  from  these  I  had  the  liberty  of  getting  out 
into  a  delightful  garden,  in  which  were  baths,  and 
every  sort  of  cooling  fruit.  In  this  place  was  I  edu- 
cated by  the  fairies,  who  behaved  to  me  with  the 
greatest  kindness ;  my  clothes  were  splendid,  and  I 
was  instructed  in  every  kind  of  accomplishment.  In 
short,  prince,  if  I  had  never  seen  any  one  but  them- 
selves, I  should  have  remained  very  happy.  One  of 
the  windows  of  my  tower  overlooked  a  long  avenue 
shaded  with  trees,  so  that  I  had  never  seen  in  it  a 
human  creature.  One  day,  however,  as  I  was  talk- 
ing at  this  v/indow  with  my  parrot,  I  perceived  a 
young  gentleman  who  was  listening  to  our  conversa- 
tion. As  I  had  never  seen  a  man,  but  in  pictures,  I 
was  not  sorry  for  the  opportunity  of  gratifying  my 
curiosity.  I  thought  him  a  very  pleasing  object,  and 
he  at  length  bowed  in  the  most  respectful  manner, 
without  daring  to  speak,  for  he  knew  that  I  was  in 
the  palace  of  the  fairies.  When  it  began  to  grow 
dark  he  went  away,  and  I  vainly  endeavoured  to  see 
which  road  he  took.  The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it 
was  light,  I  again  placed  myself  at  the  window, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that  the  gentleman 


The  White  Cat  163 

had  returned  to  the  same  place.  He  now  spoke  to 
me  through  a  speaking-trumpet,  and  informed  me  he 
thought  me  a  most  charming  lady,  and  that  he 
should  be  very  unhappy  if  he  did  not  pass  his  life  in 
my  company. 

I  resolved  to  find  some  means  of  escaping  from 
my  tower  with  the  engaging  prince  I  had  seen.  I 
was  not  long  in  devising  a  means  for  the  execution 
of  my  project.  I  begged  the  fairies  to  bring  me  a 
netting-needle,  a  mesh  and  some  cord,  saying  I 
wished  to  make  some  nets  to  amuse  myself  with 
catching  birds  at  my  window.  This  they  readily 
complied  with,  and  in  a  short  time  I  completed  a  lad- 
der long  enough  to  reach  the  ground.  I  now  sent  my 
parrot  to  the  prince,  to  beg  he  would  come  to  his 
usual  place,  as  I  wished  to  speak  with  him.  He  did 
not  fail,  and  finding  the  ladder,  mounted  it,  and 
quickly  entered  my  tower.  This  at  first  alarmed  me ; 
but  the  charms  of  his  conversation  had  restored  me 
to  tranquillity,  when  all  at  once  the  window  opened, 
and  the  fairy  Violent,  mounted  on  the  dragon's  back, 
rushed  into  the  tower.  '  My  beloved  prince  thought 
of  nothing  but  how  to  defend  me  from  their  fury; 
for  I  had  had  time  to  relate  to  him  my  story,  previ- 
ous to  this  cruel  interruption ;  but  their  numbers 
overpowered  him,  and  the  fairy  Violent  had  the  bar- 
barity to  command  the  dragon  to  devour  my  prince 
before  my  eyes.  In  my  despair,  I  would  have  thrown 
myself  also  into  the  mouth  of  the  horrible  monster, 
but  this  they  took  care  to  prevent,  saying  my  life 
should  be  preserved  for  greater  punishment.  The 
fairy  then  touched  me  with  her  wand,  and  I  instantly 
became  a  white  cat.    She  next  conducted  me  to  this 


164     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

palace,  which  belonged  to  my  father,  and  gave  me  a 
train  of  cats  for  my  attendants,  together  with  the 
twelve  hands  which  waited  on  your  highness.  She 
then  informed  me  of  my  birth,  and  the  death  of  my 
parents,  and  pronounced  upon  me  what  she  imag- 
ined the  greatest  of  maledictions :  That  I  should  not 
be  restored  to  my  natural  figure  till  a  young  prince, 
the  perfect  resemblance  of  him  I  had  lost,  should  cut 
off  my  head  and  tail.  You  are  that  perfect  resem- 
blance ;  and,  accordingly,  you  have  ended  the  en- 
chantment. I  need  not  add,  that  I  already  love  you 
more  than  my  life.  Let  us  therefore  hasten  to  the 
palace  of  the  king  your  father,  and  obtain  his  appro- 
bation to  our  marriage." 

The  prince  and  princess  accordingly  set  out  side 
by  side,  in  a  car  of  still  greater  splendour  than  be- 
fore, and  reached  the  palace  just  as  the  two  brothers 
had  arrived  with  two  beautiful  princesses.  The 
king,  hearing  that  each  of  his  sons  had  succeeded  in 
finding  what  he  had  required,  again  began  to  think 
of  some  new  expedient  to  delay  the  time  of  his 
resigning  his  crown ;  but  when  the  whole  court  were 
with  the  king  assembled  to  pass  judgment,  the 
princess  who  accompanied  the  youngest,  perceiving 
his  thoughts  by  his  countenance,  stepped  majestically 
forward,  and  thus  addressed  him :  "  What  pity  that 
your  majesty,  who  is  so  capable  of  governing, 
should  think  of  resigning  the  crown !  I  am  fortu- 
nate enough  to  have  six  kingdoms  in  my  possession ; 
permit  me  to  bestow  one  on  each  of  the  eldest 
princes,  and  to  enjoy  the  remaining  four  in  the  so- 
ciety of  the  youngest.  And  may  it  please  your  ma- 
jesty to  keep  your  own  kingdom,  and  make  no  de- 


The  White  Cat  165 

cision  concerning  the  beauty  of  three  princesses,  who, 
without  such  a  proof  of  your  majesty's  preference, 
will  no  doubt  live  happily  together !  "  The  air  re- 
sounded with  the  applauses  of  the  assembly.  The 
young  prince  and  princess  embraced  the  king,  and 
next  their  brothers  and  sisters;  the  three  weddings 
immediately  took  place ;  and  the  kingdoms  were  di- 
vided as  the  princess  had  proposed. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE   GOLDEN    GOOSE 


There  was  a  man  who  had  three  sons,  the  young- 
est of  whom  was  considered  very  silly,  and  every- 
body used  to  mock  him  and  make  fun  of  him.  The 
eldest  son  wanted  to  go  and  cut  wood  in  the  forest, 
and  before  he  left  home  his  mother  prepared  beauti- 
ful pancakes  and  a  bottle  of  wine  for  him  to  take 
with  him,  so  that  he  might  not  suffer  from  hunger 
or  thirst. 

As  he  entered  the  forest  he  met  a  gray  old  man, 
who  bade  him  "  Good-morning,"  and  said :  **  Give 
me  a  little  piece  of  cake  out  of  your  basket  and  a 
drop  of  wine  out  of  your  bottle,  for  I  am  very 
hungry  and  thirsty." 

But  the  clever  son  replied :  *'  What,  give  you  my 
cake  and  my  wine!  Why,  if  I  did,  I  should  have 
none  for  myself.  Not  I,  indeed,  so  take  yourself 
off !  "  and  he  left  the  man  standing  and  went  on. 

The  young  man  began  cutting  down  a  tree,  but  it 
was  not  long  before  he  made  a  false  stroke :  the  axe 
slipped  and  cut  his  arm  so  badly  that  he  was  obliged 
to  go  home  and  have  it  bound  up.  Now,  this  false 
stroke  was  caused  by  the  little  gray  old  man. 

Next  day  the  second  son  went  into  the  forest  to 
cut  wood,  and  his  mother  gave  him  a  cake  and  a 


The  Golden  Goose  idj 

bottle  of  wine.  As  he  entered  the  wood  the  same 
little  old  man  met  him,  and  begged  for  a  piece  of 
cake  and  a  drop  of  wine.  But  the  second  son 
answered  rudely :  "  What  I  might  give  to  you  I  shall 
want  myself,  so  be  off." 

Then  he  left  the  little  old  man  standing  in  the 
road,  and  walked  on.  His  punishment  soon  came; 
he  had  scarcely  given  two  strokes  on  a  tree  with  his 
axe,  when  he  hit  his  leg  such  a  terrible  blow  that 
he  was  obliged  to  limp  home  in  great  pain. 

Then  the  stupid  son  said  to  his  father,  ''  Let  me 
go  for  once  and  cut  wood  in  the  forest." 

But  his  father  said :  "  No,  your  brothers  have 
been  hurt  already,  and  it  would  be  worse  for  you, 
who  don't  understand  wood-cutting." 

The  boy,  however,  begged  so  hard  to  be  allowed 
to  go  that  his  father  said :  "  There,  get  along  with 
you ;  you  will  buy  your  experience  very  dearly,  I 
expect." 

His  mother,  however,  gave  him  a  cake  which  had 
been  made  with  water  and  baked  in  the  ashes,  and  a 
bottle  of  sour  beer. 

When  he  reached  the  wood  the  very  same  little 
old  man  met  him,  and  after  greeting  him  kindly, 
said :  "  Give  me  a  little  of  your  cake  and  a  drop 
from  your  bottle,  for  I  am  very  hungry  and  thirsty." 

"  Oh,"  replied  the  simple  youth,  "  I  have  onlv  a 
cake,  which  has  been  baked  in  the  ashes,  and  some 
sour  beer;  but  you  are  welcome  to  a  share  of  it. 
Let  us  sit  down,  and  eat  and  drink  together." 

So  they  seated  themselves,  and,  lo  and  behold, 
when  the  youth  opened  his  basket,  the  cake  had  been 
turned  into  a  beautiful  cake,  and  the  sour  beer  into 


1 68     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

wine.  After  they  had  eaten  and  drank  enough,  the 
httle  old  man  said :  **  Because  you  have  been  kind- 
hearted,  and  shared  your  dinner  with  me,  I  will 
make  you  in  future  lucky  in  all  you  undertake. 
There  stands  an  old  tree ;  cut  it  down,  and  you  will 
find  something  good  at  the  root." 

Then  the  old  man  said  ''  Farewell,"  and  left  him. 

The  youth  set  to  work,  and  very  soon  succeeded 
in  felling  the  tree,  when  he  found  sitting  at  the  roots 
a  goose,  whose  feathers  were  of  pure  gold.  He  took 
it  up,  and,  instead  of  going  home,  carried  it  with 
him  to  an  inn  at  a  little  distance,  where  he  intended 
to  pass  the  night. 

The  landlord  had  three  daughters,  who  looked  at 
the  goose  with  envious  eyes.  They  had  never  seen 
such  a  wonderful  bird,  and  longed  to  have  at  least 
one  of  its  feathers.  "  Ah,"  thought  the  eldest,  ''  I 
shall  soon  have  an  opportunity  to  pluck  one  of  them ;" 
and  so  it  happened,  for  not  long  after  the  young  man 
left  the  room.  She  instantly  went  up  to  the  bird 
and  took  hold  of  its  wing,  but  as  she  did  so,  the 
finger  and  thumb  remained  and  stuck  fast.  In  a 
short  time  after  the  second  sister  came  in  with  the 
full  expectation  of  gaining  a  golden  feather,  but  as 
she  touched  her  sister  to  move  her  from  the  bird, 
her  hand  stuck  fast  to  her  sister's  dress,  and  neither 
of  them  could  free  herself.  At  last,  in  came  the 
third  sister  with  the  same  intention.  "  Keep  away, 
keep  away !  "  screamed  the  other  two ;  "  in  heaven's 
name  keep  away !  " 

But  she  could  not  imagine  why  she  should  keep 
away.  If  they  were  near  the  golden  bird,  why 
should  not  she  be  there  ?    So  she  made  a  spring  for- 


The  Golden  Goose  169 

ward  and  touched  her  second  sister,  and  immedi- 
ately she  also  was  made  a  prisoner,  and  in  this  posi- 
tion they  were  obliged  to  remain  by  the  goose  all 
night. 

In  the  morning  the  young  man  came  in,  took  the 
goose  on  his  arm,  and  went  away  without  troubling 
himself  about  the  three  girls,  who  were  following 
close  behind  him.  And  as  he  walked  quickly,  they 
were  obliged  to  run  one  behind  the  other,  left  or 
right  of  him,  just  as  he  was  inclined  to  go. 

In  the  middle  of  a  field  they  were  met  by  the  par- 
son of  the  parish,  who  looked  with  wonder  at  the 
procession  as  it  came  near  him.  "  Shame  on  you !  " 
he  cried  out.  "  What  are  you  about,  you  bold-faced 
hussies,  running  after  a  young  man  in  that  way 
through  the  fields  ?    Go  home,  all  of  you." 

He  placed  his  hand  on  the  youngest  to  pull  her 
back,  but  the  moment  he  touched  her  he  also  became 
fixed,  and  was  obliged  to  follow  and  run  like  the 
rest.  In  a  few  minutes  the  clerk  met  them,  and 
when  he  saw  the  parson  runing  after  the  girls,  he 
wondered  greatly,  and  cried  out,  "  Halloa,  master 
parson,  wdiere  are  you  running  in  such  haste  ?  Have 
you  forgotten  that  there  is  a  christening  to-day  ?  " 
And  as  the  procession  did  not  stop,  he  ran  after  it, 
and  seized  the  parson's  gown. 

In  a  moment  he  found  that  his  hand  was  fixed, 
and  he  also  had  to  run  like  the  rest.  And  now  there 
w^ere  five  trotting  along,  one  behind  the  other. 
Presently  two  peasants  came  by  with  their  sickles 
from  the  field.  The  parson  called  out  to  them,  and 
begged  them  to  come  and  release  him  and  the  clerk. 
Hardly  had  they  touched  the  clerk  w^hen  they  also 


170    Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Knozu 

stuck  fast  as  the  others,  and  the  simpleton  with  his 
golden  goose  travelled  with  the  seven. 

After  awhile  they  came  to  a  city  in  which  reigned 
a  king  who  had  a  daughter  of  such  a  melancholy 
disposition  that  no  one  could  make  her  laugh ;  there- 
fore he  issued  a  decree  that  whoever  would  make 
the  princess  laugh  should  have  her  in  marriage. 

Now,  when  the  simple  youth  heard  this,  he  ran 
before  her,  and  the  whole  seven  trotted  after  him. 
The  sight  was  so  ridiculous  that  the  moment  the 
princess  saw  it  she  burst  into  a  violent  fit  of  laughter 
and  they  thought  she  would  never  leave  off. 

After  this,  the  youth  went  to  the  king,  and  de- 
manded his  daughter  in  marriage,  according  to  the 
king's  decree;  but  his  majesty  did  not  quite  like  to 
have  the  young  man  for  a  son-in-law,  so  he  said  that, 
before  he  could  consent  to  the  marriage,  the  youth 
must  bring  him  a  man  who  could  drink  all  the  wine 
in  the  king's  cellar. 

The  simpleton  went  into  the  forest,  for  he  thought, 
"  If  anyone  can  help  me,  it  is  the  little  gray  man." 
When  he  arrived  at  the  spot  where  he  had  cut  down 
the  tree,  there  stood  a  man  with  a  very  miserable 
face. 

The  youth  asked  him  why  he  looked  so  sorrowful. 

*'  Oh,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  suffer  such  dreadful 
thirst  that  nothing  seems  able  to  quench  it ;  and  cold 
water  I  cannot  endure.  I  have  emptied  a  cask  of 
wine  already,  but  it  was  just  like  a  drop  of  water  on 
a  hot  stone." 

"  I  can  help  you,"  cried  the  young  man ;  "  come 
with  me,  and  you  shall  have  your  fill,  I  promise 
you." 


The  Golden  Goose  171 

Upon  this  he  led  the  man  into  the  king's  cellar, 
where  he  opened  the  casks  one  after  another,  and 
drank  and  drank  till  his  back  ached ;  and  before  the 
day  closed  he  had  quite  emptied  the  king's  cellar. 

Again  the  young  mian  asked  for  his  bride,  but  the 
king  was  annoyed  at  the  thought  of  giving  his 
daughter  to  such  a  common  fellow,  and  to  get  rid 
of  him  he  made  another  condition.  He  said  that  no 
man  should  have  his  daughter  who  could  not  find 
someone  able  to  eat  up  a  whole  mountain  of  bread. 

Away  went  the  simpleton  to  the  forest  as  before, 
and  there  in  the  same  place  sat  a  man  binding  him- 
self round  tightly  with  a  belt,  and  making  the  most 
horrible  faces.  As  the  youth  approached,  he  cried, 
"  I  have  eaten  a  whole  ovenful  of  rolls,  but  it  has 
not  satisfied  me  a  bit;  I  am  as  hungry  as  ever,  and 
my  stomach  feels  so  empty  that  I  am  obliged  to 
bind  it  round  tightly,  or  I  should  die  of  hunger." 

The  simpleton  could  hardly  contain  himself  for 
joy  when  he  heard  this.  "  Get  up,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  and  come  with  me,  and  I  will  give  you  plenty  to 
eat,   I'll  warrant." 

So  he  led  him  to  the  king's  court,  where  his 
majesty  had  ordered  all  the  flour  in  the  kingdom  to 
be  made  into  bread,  and  piled  up  in  a  huge  mountain. 
The  hungry  man  placed  himself  before  the  bread, 
and  began  to  eat,  and  before  evening  the  whole  pile 
had  disappeared. 

Then  the  simpleton  went  a  third  time  to  the  king, 
and  asked  for  his  bride,  but  the  king  made  several 
excuses,  and  at  last  said  that  if  he  could  bring  him 
a  ship  that  would  travel  as  well  by  land  as  by  water, 


172     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

then  he  should,  without  any  further  conditions, 
marry  his  daughter. 

The  youth  went  at  once  straight  to  the  forest,  and 
saw  the  same  old  gray  man  to  whom  he  had  given 
his  cake.  **  Ah,"  he  said,  as  the  youth  approached, 
''  it  was  I  who  sent  the  men  to  eat  and  drink,  and  I 
will  also  give  you  a  ship  that  can  travel  by  land  or 
by  sea,  because  when  you  thought  I  was  poor  you 
were  kind-hearted,  and  gave  me  food  and  drink." 

The  youth  took  the  ship,  and  when  the  king  saw 
it  he  was  quite  surprised ;  but  he  could  not  any 
longer  refuse  to  give  him  his  daughter  in  marriage. 
The  wedding  was  celebrated  with  great  pomp,  and 
after  the  king's  death  the  simple  woodcutter  inher- 
ited the  whole  kingdom,  and  lived  happily  with  his 
wife. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE   TWELVE    BROTHERS 


There  were  once  a  king  and  queen  who  had 
twelve  children — all  boys.  Now,  one  day  the  king 
told  his  wife  that  if  a  daughter  should  be  born,  all 
the  sons  must  die — that  their  sister  alone  might  in- 
herit his  kingdom  and  riches. 

So  the  king  had  twelve  coffins  made,  which  were 
filled  with  shavings,  and  in  each  was  the  little  pil- 
low for  the  dead.  He  had  them  locked  up  in  a 
private  room,  the  key  of  which  he  gave  to  the  queen, 
praying  her  not  to  speak  of  it  to  anyone.  But  the 
poor  mother  was  so  unhappy  that  she  wept  for  a 
whole  day,  and  looked  so  sad  that  her  youngest  son 
noticed  it. 

He  had  the  Bible  name  of  Benjamin,  and  was  al- 
ways with  his  mother. 

"  Dear  mother,"  he  said,  ''  why  are  you  so  sorrow- 
ful?" 

"  My  child,  I  may  not  tell  you,"  she  replied ;  but 
the  boy  allowed  her  no  rest  till  she  unlocked  the 
door  of  the  private  room,  and  showed  him  the  twelve 
coffins  filled  with  shavings. 

"  Dearest  Benjamin,"  she  said,  "  these  coffins  are 
for  you  and  your  brothers ;  for  if  you  should  ever 
have  a  little  sister,  you  will  all  die,  and  be  buried  in 
them. 


174     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

She  wept  bitterly  as  she  told  him,  but  her  son 
comforted  her,  and  said, ''  Do  not  weep,  dear  mother. 
We  will  take  care  of  ourselves,  and  go  far  away." 

Then  she  took  courage,  and  said,  "  Yes,  go  away 
with  your  eleven  brothers,  and  remain  in  the  forest ; 
and  let  one  climb  a  tree,  from  whence  he  will  be 
able  to  see  the  tower  of  the  castle.  If  I  should  have 
a  son,  a  white  flag  shall  be  hoisted,  and  then  you 
may  return  home ;  but  if  you  see  a  red  flag,  you  will 
know  it  is  a  girl,  and  then  hasten  away  as  fast  as 
you  can,  and  may  Heaven  protect  you !  Every  night 
I  will  pray  for  you,  that  you  may  not  suffer  from  the 
cold  in  winter  or  the  heat  in  summer." 

Then  she  blessed  all  her  sons,  and  they  went  away 
into  the  forest,  while  each  in  turn  mounted  a  high 
tree  daily,  to  watch  for  the  flag  on  the  tower. 

Eleven  days  passed,  and  it  was  Benjamin's  turn 
to  watch.  He  saw  the  flag  hoisted,  and  it  was  red — 
the  signal  that  they  must  die.  The  brothers  were 
'ingry,  and  said,  "  Shall  we  suffer  death  on  account 
;f  a  maiden  ?  When  we  find  one  we  will  kill  her,  to 
avenge  ourselves." 

They  went  still  farther  into  the  forest,  and  came 
upon  a  most  pleasant  little  cottage,  which  was  un- 
inhabited. "  We  will  make  this  our  home,"  they 
said ;  "  and  Benjamin,  as  you  are  the  youngest  and 
weakest,  you  shall  stay  at  home  and  keep  house, 
Avhile  we  go  out  and  procure  food." 

So  they  wandered  about  the  forest,  shooting 
hares,  wild  rabbits,  pigeons  and  other  birds,  which 
they  brought  to  Benjamin  to  prepare  for  food.  In 
this  cottage  they  lived  for  ten  years  happily  together, 
so  that  the  time  passed  quickly. 


The  Tivelve  Brothers  175 

Their  little  sister  was  growing  a  great  girl.  She 
had  a  sweet  disposition,  and  was  very  beautiful  to 
look  upon.  She  wore  rich  clothes,  and  a  golden 
star  on  her  forehead. 

One  day,  when  she  was  about  ten  years  old,  she 
discovered  in  her  mother's  wardrobe  twelve  shirts. 
*'  Mother,"  she  exclaimed,  "  whose  shirts  are  these? 
They  are  much  too  small  for  my  father." 

The  queen  sighed  as  she  replied,  "  Dear  child, 
these  shirts  belong  to  your  twelve  brothers." 

"  Twelve  brothers ! "  cried  the  little  maiden. 
''  Where  are  they  ?    I  have  not  even  heard  of  them." 

"  Heaven  knows  where  they  are,"  was  the  reply ; 
''  but  they  are  wandering  about  the  world  some- 
where." Then  the  queen  took  her  little  daughter  to 
the  private  room  in  the  castle,  and  showed  her  the 
twelve  coffins  which  had  been  prepared  for  her 
brothers,  and  related  to  her,  with  many  tears,  why 
they  had  left  home. 

*'  Dear  mother,"  said  the  child,  "  do  not  weep.  I 
will  go  and  seek  my  brothers."  So  she  took  the 
twelve  shirts  with  her,  and  wandered  away  into  the 
forest. 

She  walked  for  a  whole  day,  and  in  the  evening 
came  to  a  cottage,  stepped  in,  and  found  a  young 
boy,  who  stared  with  astonishment  at  seeing  a 
beautiful  little  girl  dressed  in  rich  clothing  and 
wearing  a  golden  star  on  her  forehead. 

At  last  he  said,  "  Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you 
want?  " 

"  I  am  a  king's  daughter,"  she  said,  "  and  I  seek 
my  twelve  brothers,  and  I  intend  to  search  for  them 
till  I  find  them ;  "  and  she  showed  him  their  shirts. 


176     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Then  Benjamin  knew  that  she  was  his  sister,  and 
said,  *'  I  am  your  youngest  brother,  Benjamin." 
Then  she  wept  for  joy.  They  kissed  each  other  with 
deep  affection,  and  were  for  a  time  very  happy. 

At  last  Benjamin  said,  ''  Dear  sister,  we  have 
made  a  vow  that  the  first  young  maiden  we  meet 
should  die,  because  through  a  maiden  we  have  lost 
our  kingly  rights." 

'*  I  would  willingly  die,"  she  said,  ''  if  by  so  doing 
I  could  restore  my  brothers  to  their  rightful  posses- 
sions." 

"  No,  you  shall  not  die,"  he  replied.  "  Hide  your- 
self behind  this  tub  until  our  eleven  brothers  come 
home ;  then  I  will  make  an  agreement  with  them." 

At  night  the  brothers  returned  from  hunting,  and 
the  supper  was  ready.  While  they  sat  at  table,  one 
of  them  said,  ''  Well,  Benjamin,  have  you  any 
news?  " 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  he  said,  "  although  it  seems 
strange  that  I,  who  stay  at  home,  should  know  more 
than  you,  who  have  been  out." 

"  Well,  tell  us  your  news,"  said  one.     So  he  said : 

"  I  will  tell  you  if  you  will  make  one  promise." 

"  Yes,  yes !  "  they  all  cried.    ''  What  is  it?  " 

"  Well,  then,  promise  me  that  the  first  maiden  you 
meet  with  in  the  forest  shall  not  die." 

"  Yes,  yes !  "  said  they  all ;  "  she  shall  have  mercy; 
but  tell  us." 

''  Then,"  said  the  youngest  brother,  "  our  sister  is 
here ;  "  and,  rising,  he  lifted  the  tub,  and  the  king's 
daughter  came  forth  in  her  royal  robes  and  with  a 
golden  star  on  her  forehead,  and  looking  so  fair  and 
delicate  and  beautiful  that  the  brothers  were  full 


The  Tzvelve  Brothers  177 

of  joy,  and  kissed  and  embraced  her  with  the  fond- 
est affection. 

She  stayed  with  Benjamin,  and  helped  him  in 
keeping  the  house  clean  and  cooking  the  game  which 
the  others  brought  home.  Ever3'thing  was  so  nicely 
managed  now  and  with  so  much  order,  the  curtains 
and  the  quilts  were  beautifully  white,  and  the  din- 
ners cooked  so  well  that  the  brothers  were  always 
contented,  and  lived  in  great  unity  with  their  little 
sister. 

There  was  a  pretty  garden  around  the  house  in 
which  they  lived,  and  one  day,  when  they  were  all 
at  home  dining  together,  and  enjoying  themselves, 
the  maiden  went  out  into  the  garden  to  gather  them 
some  flowers. 

She  had  tended  twelve  lilies  with  great  care,  and 
they  were  now  in  such  splendid  bloom  that  she 
determined  to  pluck  them  for  her  brothers,  to  please 
them. 

But  the  moment  she  gathered  the  lilies,  her  twelve 
brothers  were  changed  into  twelve  ravens,  and  flew 
away  over  the  trees  of  the  forest,  while  the  charm- 
ing house  and  garden  vanished  from  her  sight.  Now 
was  the  poor  little  maiden  left  all  alone  in  the  wild 
wood,  and  knew  not  what  to  do ;  but  on  turning 
round  she  saw  a  curious  old  woman  standing  near, 
who  said  to  her,  "  My  child,  what  hast  thou  done? 
Why  didst  thou  not  leave  those  white  flowers  to 
grow  on  their  stems?  They  were  thy  twelve 
brothers,  and  now  they  will  always  remain  ravens." 

"  Is  there  no  way  to  set  them  free  ?  "  asked  the 
maiden,  weeping. 

"  No  way  in  the  world,"  she  replied,  "  but  one,  and 


178     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

that  is  far  too  difficult  for  thee  to  perform;  yet  it 
would  break  the  spell  and  set  them  free.  Hast  thou 
firmness  enough  to  remain  dumb  seven  years,  and 
not  speak  to  anyone,  or  even  laugh?  for  if  ever  you 
utter  a  single  word,  or  fail  only  once  in  the  seven 
years,  all  you  have  done  before  will  be  vain,  and  at 
this  one  word  your  brothers  will  die." 

''  Yes,"  said  the  maiden,  ''  I  can  do  this  to  set 
my  brothers  free." 

Then  the  maiden  climbed  into  a  tree,  and,  seating 
herself  in  the  branches,  began  to  knit. 

She  remained  here,  living  on  the  fruit  that  grew 
on  the  tree,  and  without  laughing  or  uttering  a 
word. 

As  she  sat  in  her  tree,  the  king,  who  was  hunting, 
had  a  favourite  hound,  who  very  soon  discovered 
her,  ran  to  the  tree  on  which  the  maiden  sat,  sprang 
up  to  it,  and  barked  at  her  violently. 

The  king  came  nearer,  and  saw  the  beautiful 
king's  daughter  with  the  golden  star  on  her  fore- 
head. He  was  so  struck  with  her  beauty  that  he 
begged  her  to  come  down,  and  asked  her  to  be  his 
bride.  She  did  not  speak  a  word,  but  merely  nodded 
her  head.  Then  the  king  himself  climbed  up  into 
the  tree,  and  bringing  her  down,  seated  her  on  his 
own  horse  and  galloped  away  with  her  to  his  home. 

The  marriage  was  soon  after  celebrated  with  great 
pomp,  but  the  bride  neither  spoke  nor  laughed. 

When  they  had  lived  happily  together  for  some 
years,  the  king's  mother,  a  wicked  woman,  began  to 
raise  evil  reports  about  the  queen,  and  said  to  the 
king,  "  It  is  some  beggar  girl  you  have  picked  up. 
Who  can  tell  what  wicked  tricks  she  practises.     She 


The  Tivclve  Brothers  179 

can't  help  being  dumb,  but  why  does  she  never 
laugh?  unless  she  has  a  guilty  conscience."  The 
king  at  first  would  listen  to  none  of  these  suspicions, 
but  she  urged  him  so  long,  and  accused  the  queen 
of  such  wicked  conduct,  that  at  last  he  condemned 
her  to  be  burnt  to  death. 

Now  in  the  court-yard  a  great  fire  was  kindled, 
and  the  king  stood  weeping  at  a  window  overlooking 
the  court  of  the  palace,  for  he  still  loved  her  dearly. 
He  saw  her  brought  forth  and  tied  to  the  stake ;  the 
fire  kindled,  and  the  flames  with  their  forked  tongues 
were  creeping  towards  her,  when  at  the  last  moment 
the  seven  years  were  past,  and  suddenly  a  rustling 
noise  of  wings  was  heard  in  the  air;  twelve  black 
ravens  alighted  on  the  earth  and  instantly  assumed 
their  own  forms — they  were  the  brothers  of  the 
queen. 

They  tore  down  the  pile  and  extinguished  the  fire, 
set  their  sister  free,  and  embraced  her  tenderly.  The 
queen,  who  was  now  able  to  speak,  told  the  king 
why  she  had  been  dumb  and  had  never  laughed. 

The  delight  of  the  king  was  only  equalled  by  his 
anger  against  the  wicked  witch,  who  was  brought 
to  justice  and  ordered  to  be  thrown  into  a  vat  of  oil 
full  of  poisonous  snakes,  where  she  died  a  dreadful 
death. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   FAIR    ONE    WITH    THE    GOLDEN    LOCKS 

There  was  once  a  most  beautiful  and  amiable 
princess  who  was  called  *'  The  Fair  One  with 
Locks  of  Gold,"  for  her  hair  shone  brighter  than 
gold,  and  flowed  in  curls  down  to  her  feet,  her  head 
was  always  encircled  by  a  wreath  of  beautiful  flow- 
ers, and  pearls  and  diamonds. 

A  handsome,  rich,  young  prince,  whose  territories 
joined  to  hers,  was  deeply  in  love  with  the  reports 
he  heard  of  her,  and  sent  to  demand  her  in  mar- , 
riage.  The  ambassador  sent  with  proposals  was  most 
sumptuously  attired,  and  surrounded  by  lackeys  on 
beautiful  horses,  as  well  as  charged  with  every  kind 
of  compliment,  from  the  anxious  prince,  who  hoped 
he  would  bring  the  princess  back  with  him ;  but 
whether  it  was  that  she  was  not  that  day  in  a  good 
humour,  or  that  she  did  not  like  the  speeches  made 
by  the  ambassador,  I  don't  know,  but  she  returned 
thanks  to  his  master  for  the  honour  he  intended  her, 
and  said  she  had  no  inclination  to  marry.  When 
the  ambassador  arrived  at  the  king's  chief  city,  where 
he  was  expected  with  great  impatience,  the  people 
were  extremely  afflicted  to  see  him  return  without 
the  Fair  One  with  the  Locks  of  Gold ;  and  the  king 
wept  like  a  child.  There  was  a  youth  at  court  whose 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       i8i 

beauty  outshone  the  sun,  the  gracefulness  of  whose 
person  was  not  to  be  equalled,  and  for  his  graceful- 
ness and  wit,  he  was  called  Avenant :  the  king  loved 
him,  and  indeed  every  body  except  the  envious. 
Avenant  being  one  day  in  company  with  some  per- 
sons, inconsiderately  said,  ''  If  the  king  had  sent 
me  to  the  Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  I  dare  say 
I  could  have  prevailed  on  her  to  return  with  me." 
These  enviers  of  Avenant's  prosperity  immediately 
ran  open  mouthed  to  the  king,  saying,  ''  Sir,  sir, 
what  does  your  majesty  think  Avenant  says?  He 
boasts  that  if  you  had  sent  him  to  the  Fair  One 
with  the  Golden  Hair,  he  could  have  brought  her 
with  him;  which  shows  he  is  so  vain  as  to  think 
himself  handsomer  than  your  majesty,  and  that  her 
love  for  him  would  have  made  her  follow  him  wher- 
ever he  went."  This  put  the  king  into  a  violent 
rage.  "  What !  "  said  he,  "  does  this  youngster  make 
a  jest  at  my  misfortune,  and  pretend  to  set  himself 
above  me  ?  Go  and  put  him  immediately  in  my  great 
tower,  and  there  let  him  starve  to  death."  The 
king's  guards  went  and  seized  Avenant,  who 
thought  no  more  of  what  he  had  said,  dragged  him 
to  prison,  and  used  him  in  the  most  cruel  manner. 

One  day  when  he  was  almost  quite  spent,  he  said 
to  himself,  fetching  a  deep  sigh,  ''  Wherein  can  I 
have  offended  the  king?  He  has  not  a  more  faith- 
ful subject  than  myself;  nor  have  I  ever  done  any 
thing  to  displease  him."  The  king  happened  at  that 
time  to  pass  by  the  tower ;  and  stopped  to  hear  him, 
notwithstanding  the  persuasions  of  those  that  were 
with  him ;  "  Hold  your  peace,"  replied  the  king, 
*'  and  let  me  hear  him  out."     Which  having  done, 


1 82     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

and  being  greatly  moved  by  his  sufferings,  he 
opened  the  door  of  the  tower,  and  called  him  by  his 
name.  Upon  which  Avenant  came  forth  in  a  sad 
condition,  and,  throwing  himself  at  the  king's  feet, 
"  What  have  I  done,  sir,''  said  he,  "  that  your 
majesty  should  use  me  thus  severely?  "  "  Thou  hast 
ridiculed  me  and  my  ambassador,"  replied  the  king; 
''  and  hast  said,  that  if  I  had  sent  thee  to  the  Fair 
One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  thou  couldst  have  brought 
her  with  thee."  ''  It  is  true,  sir,"  replied  Avenant, 
"  for  I  would  have  so  thoroughly  convinced  her  of 
your  transcending  qualities,  that  it  should  not  have 
been  in  her  power  to  have  denied  me ;  and  this, 
surely,  I  said  in  the  name  of  your  majesty."  The 
king  found  in  reality  he  had  done  no  injury;  so, 
he  took  him  away  with  him,  repenting  heartily  of 
the  wrong  he  had  done  him.  After  having  given 
him  an  excellent  supper,  the  king  sent  for  him  into 
his  cabinet.  *'  Avenant,"  said  he,  "  I  still  love  the 
Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold ;  I  have  a  mind  to  send 
thee  to  her,  to  try  whether  thou  canst  succeed." 
Avenant  replied,  he  was  ready  to  obey  his  majesty 
in  all  things,  and  would  depart  the  very  next  morn- 
ing. "  Hold,"  said  the  king,  "  I  will  provide  thee 
first  with  a  most  sumptuous  equipage."  ''  There  is 
no  necessity  for  that,"  answered  Avenant ;  "  I  need 
only  a  good  horse  and  your  letters  of  credence." 
Upon  this  the  king  embraced  him;  being  overjoyed 
to  see  him  so  soon  ready. 

It  was  upon  a  Monday  morning  that  he  took  leave 
of  the  king  and  his  friends.  Being  on  his  journey 
by  break  of  day,  and  entering  into  a  spacious 
meadow,   a  fine   thought  came  into  his  head :   he 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       183 

alighted  immediately,  and  seated  himself  by  the 
bank  of  a  little  stream  that  watered  one  side  of  the 
meadow,  and  wrote  the  sentiment  down  in  his 
pocket  book.  After  he  had  done  writing,  he  looked 
about  him  every  way,  being  charmed  with  the  beau- 
ties of  the  place,  and  suddenly  perceived  a  large 
gilded  carp,  which  stirred  a  little,  and  that  was  all  it 
could  do,  for  having  attempted  to  catch  some  little 
flies,  it  had  leaped  so  far  out  of  the  water,  as  to 
throw  itself  upon  the  grass,  where  it  was  almost 
dead,  not  being  able  to  recover  its  natural  element. 
Avenant  took  pity  on  the  poor  creature,  and  though 
it  was  a  fish-day,  and  he  might  have  carried  it  away 
for  his  dinner,  he  took  it  up,  and  gently  put  it  again 
into  the  river,  where  the  carp,  feeling  the  refreshing 
coolness  of  the  water,  began  to  rejoice,  and  sunk  to 
the  bottom ;  but  soon  rising  up  again,  brisk  and  gay, 
to  the  side  of  the  river ;  ''  Avenant,"  said  the  carp, 
*'  I  thank  you  for  the  kindness  you  have  done  me ; 
had  it  not  been  for  you,  I  had  died;  but  you  have 
saved  my  life,  and  I  will  reward  you."  After  this 
short  compliment,  the  carp  darted  itself  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  water,  leaving  Avenant  not  a  little  sur- 
prised at  its  wit  and  great  civility. 

Another  day,  as  he  was  pursuing  his  journey,  he 
saw  a  crow  in  great  distress :  being  pursued  by  a 
huge  eagle,  he  took  his  bow,  which  he  always  carried 
abroad  with  him,  and  aiming  at  the  eagle,  let  fly  an 
arrow,  which  pierced  him  through  the  body,  so  that 
he  fell  down  dead ;  which  the  crow  seeing,  came  in 
an  ecstasy  of  joy,  and  perched  upon  a  tree.  "  Ave- 
nant," said  the  crow,  "  you  have  been  extremely  gen- 
erous to  succour  me,  who  am  but  a  poor  wretched 


1 84     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

crow ;  but  I  am  not  ungrateful  and  will  do  you  as 
good  a  turn."  Avenant  admired  the  wit  of  the  crow, 
and  continuing  his  journey,  he  entered  into  a  wood 
so  early  one  morning,  that  he  could  scarcely  see  his 
way,  where  he  heard  an  owl  crying  out  like  an  owl 
in  despair.  So  looking  about  every  where,  he  at 
length  came  to  a  place  where  certain  fowlers  had 
spread  their  nets  in  the  night-time  to  catch  little 
birds.  "  What  pity  'tis,"  said  he,  "  men  are  only 
made  to  torment  one  another,  or  else  to  persecute 
poor  animals  who  never  do  them  any  harm !  "  So 
saying,  he  drew  his  knife,  cut  the  cords,  and  set  the 
owl  at  liberty ;  who,  before  he  took  wing,  said, 
"  Avenant,  the  fowlers  are  coming,  I  should  have 
been  taken,  and  must  have  died,  without  your  assist- 
ance :  I  have  a  grateful  heart,  and  will  remember  it." 
These  were  the  three  most  remarkable  adventures 
that  befell  Avenant  in  his  journey ;  and  when  he  ar- 
rived at  the  end  of  it,  he  washed  himself,  combed 
and  powdered  his  hair,  and  put  on  a  suit  of  cloth  of 
gold :  which  having  done,  he  put  a  rich  embroidered 
scarf  about  his  neck,  with  a  small  basket,  wherein 
was  a  little  dog  which  he  was  very  fond  of.  And 
Avenant  was  so  amiable,  and  did  every  thing  with 
so  good  a  grace,  that  when  he  presented  himself  at 
the  gate  of  the  palace,  all  the  guards  paid  him  great 
respect,  and  every  one  strove  who  should  first  give 
notice  to  the  Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  that 
Avenant,  the  neighbouring  king's  ambassador,  de- 
manded audience.  The  princess  on  hearing  the 
name  of  Avenant,  said,  "  It  has  a  pleasing  sound, 
and  I  dare  say  he  is  agreeable  and  pleases  every 
body ;  and  she  said  to  her  maids  of  honour,  "  go 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       185 

fetch  me  my  rich  embroidered  gown  of  blue  satin, 
dress  my  hair,  and  bring  my  wreaths  of  fresh  flow- 
ers :  let  me  have  my  high  shoes,  and  my  fan,  and  let 
my  audience  chamber  and  throne  be  clean,  and  richly 
adorned ;  for  I  would  have  him  every  where  with 
truth  say,  that  I  am  really  the  Fair  One  with  Locks 
of  Gold."  Thus  all  her  women  were  employed  to 
dress  her  as  a  queen  should  be.  At  length,  she  went 
to  her  great  gallery  of  looking-glasses,  to  see  if  any 
thing  was  wanting;  after  which  she  ascended  her 
throne  of  gold,  ivory,  and  ebony,  the  fragrant  smell 
of  which  was  superior  to  the  choicest  balm.  She 
also  commanded  her  maids  of  honour  to  take  their 
instruments,  and  play  to  their  own  singing  so  sweetly 
that  none  should  be  disgusted. 

Avenant  was  conducted  into  the  chamber  of  audi- 
ence, were  he  stood  so  transported  with  admiration, 
that,  as  he  afterwards  said,  he  had  scarcely  power  to 
open  his  lips.  At  length,  however,  he  took  courage, 
and  made  his  speech  wonderfully  well ;  wherein  he 
prayed  the  princess  not  to  let  him  be  so  unfortunate 
as  to  return  without  her.  ''  Gentle  Avenant,"  said 
she,  "  all  the  reasons  you  have  laid  before  me,  are 
very  good,  and  I  assure  you,  I  would  rather  favour 
you  than  any  other;  but  you  must  know,  about  a 
month  since,  I  went  to  take  the  air  by  the  side  of  a 
river,  with  my  maids  of  honour;  as  I  was  pulling 
off  my  glove,  I  pulled  a  ring  from  my  finger,  which 
by  accident  fell  into  the  river.  This  ring  I  valued 
more  than  my  whole  kingdom ;  whence  you  may 
judge  how  much  I  am  afflicted  by  the  loss  of  it.  And 
I  have  made  a  vow  never  to  hearken  to  any  proposals 
of  marriage,  unless  the  ambassador  who  makes  them, 


1 86     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

shall  also  bring  my  ring.  This  is  the  present  which 
you  have  to  make  me ;  otherwise  you  may  talk  your 
heart  out,  for  months  and  even  years  shall  never 
change  my  resolution."  When  he  returned  to  his 
lodgings,  he  went  to  bed  supperless;  and  his  little 
dog,  who  was  called  Cabriole,  made  a  fasting  night 
of  it  too,  and  went  and  lay  down  by  his  master ;  who 
did  nothing  all  night  but  sigh  and  lament,  saying, 
"  How  can  I  find  a  ring  that  fell  into  a  great  river 
a  month  ago  ?  It  would  be  folly  to  attempt  it.  The 
princess  enjoined  me  this  task,  merely  because  she 
knew  it  was  impossible,"  he  continued,  greatly  af- 
flicted ;  which  Cabriole  observing,  said,  ''  My  dear 
master,  pray  do  not  despair  of  your  good  fortune; 
for  you  are  too  good  to  be  unhappy.  Therefore, 
when  it  is  day,  let  us  go  to  the  river  side.  Avenanf 
made  no  answer,  but  gave  his  dog  two  little  cuffs 
with  his  hand,  and  being  overwhelmed  with  grief, 
fell  asleep. 

But  when  Cabriole  perceived  it  was  broad  day, 
he  fell  a  barking  so  loud  that  he  waked  his  master. 
'■  Rise,  sir,"  said  he,  "  put  on  your  clothes,  and  let 
us  go  and  try  our  fortune."  Avenant  took  his 
little  dog's  advice ;  got  up,  and  dressed  himself,  went 
down  into  the  garden,  and  out  of  the  garden  he 
walked  insensibly  to  the  river  side,  with  his  hat  over 
his  eyes,  and  his  arms  across,  thinking  of  nothing 
but  taking  his  leave ;  when  all  on  a  sudden  he  heard 
a  voice  call,  "  Avenant,  Avenant !  "  upon  which  he 
looked  around  him,  but  seeing  nothing,  he  concluded 
it  was  an  illusion,  and  was  proceeding  in  his  walk; 
but  he  presently  heard  himself  called  again.  "  Who 
calls  me  ?  "  said  he ;  Cabriole,  who  was  very  little, 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       187 

and  looked  closely  into  the  water,  cried  out,  "  Never 
believe  me,  if  it  is  not  a  gilded  carp."  Immediately 
the  carp  appeared,  and  with  an  audible  voice  said, 
"  Avenant,  you  saved  my  life  in  the  poplar  meadow, 
where  I  must  have  died  without  your  assistance; 
and  now  I  am  come  to  requite  your  kindness.  Here, 
my  dear  Avenant,  here  is  the  ring  which  the  Fair 
One  with  Locks  of  Gold  dropped  into  the  river." 
Upon  which  he  stooped  and  took  it  out  of  the  carp's 
mouth ;  to  whom  he  returned  a  thousand  thanks. 
And  now,  instead  of  returning  home,  he  went  di- 
rectly to  the  palace  with  little  Cabriole,  who  skipped 
about,  and  wagged  his  tail  for  joy,  that  he  had  per- 
suaded his  master  to  walk  by  the  side  of  the  river. 
The  princess  being  told  that  Avenant  desired  an 
audience :  ''  Alas,"  said  she,  "  the  poor  youth  has 
come  to  take  his  leave  of  me !  He  has  considered 
what  I  enjoined  him  as  impossible,  and  is  returning 
to  his  master."  But  Avenant  being  admitted,  pre- 
sented her  the  ring,  saying,  ''  Madam,  behold  I  have 
executed  your  command ;  and  now,  I  hope,  you  will 
receive  my  master  for  your  royal  consort."  When 
she  saw  her  ring,  and  that  it  was  noways  injured, 
she  was  so  amazed  that  she  could  hardly  believe  her 
eyes.  "  Surely,  courteous  Avenant,"  said  she,  "  you 
must  be  favoured  by  some  fairy;  for  naturally  this 
is  impossible."  ''  Madam,"  said  he,  "  I  am  ac- 
quainted with  no  fairy;  but  I  was  willing  to  obey 
your  command."  "  Well,  then,  seeing  you  have  so 
good  a  will,"  continued  she,  ''  you  must  do  me  an- 
other piece  of  service,  without  which  I  will  never 
marry.  There  is  a  certain  prince  who  lives  not  far 
from  hence,   whose  name  is   Galifron,   and   whom 


1 88     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

nothing  would  serve  but  that  he  must  needs  marry 
me.  He  declared  his  mind  to  me,  with  most  terrible 
menaces,  that  if  I  denied  him,  he  would  enter  my 
kingdom  with  fire  and  sword ;  but  you  shall  judge 
whether  I  would  accept  his  proposal :  he  is  a  giant,  as 
high  as  a  steeple ;  he  devours  men  as  an  ape  eats 
chestnuts ;  when  he  goes  into  the  country,  he  carries 
cannons  in  his  pocket,  to  use  instead  of  pistols ;  and 
when  he  speaks  aloud  he  deafens'  the  ears  of  those 
that  stand  near  him.  I  answered  him,  that  I  did  not 
choose  to  marry,  and  desired  him  to  excuse  me. 
Nevertheless,  he  has  not  ceased  to  persecute  me,  and 
has  put  an  infinite  number  of  my  subjects  to  the 
sword :  therefore,  before  all  other  things  you  must 
fight  him,  and  bring  me  his  head." 

Avenant  was  somewhat  startled  by  this  proposal ; 
but,  having  considered  it  awhile,  "  Well,  madam," 
said  he,  "  I  will  fight  this  Galifron ;  I  believe  I  shall 
be  vanquished ;  but  I  will  die  like  a  man  of  cour- 
age." The  princess  was  astonished  at  his  intrepid- 
ity, and  said  a  thousand  things  to  dissuade  him  from 
it,  but  all  in  vain.  At  length  he  arrived  at  Gali- 
fron's  castle,  the  roads  all  the  way  being  strewed 
with  the  bones  and  carcasses  of  men  which  the  giant 
had  devoured,  or  cut  in  pieces.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore Avenant  saw  the  monster  approach,  and  he  im- 
mediately challenged  him ;  but  there  was  no  occasion 
for  this,  for  he  lifted  his  iron  mace,  and  had  cer- 
tainly beat  out  the  gentle  Avenant's  brains  at  the 
first  blow,  had  not  a  crow  at  that  instant  perched 
upon  the  giant's  head,  and  with  his  bill  pecked  out 
both  his  eyes.  The  blood  trickled  down  his  face, 
whereat  he  grew  desperate,  and  laid  about  him  on 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       189 

every  side ;  but  Avenant  took  care  to  avoid  his  blows, 
and  gave  him  many  great  wounds  with  his  sword, 
which  he  pushed  up  to  the  very  hilt ;  so  that  the  giant 
fainted,  and  fell  down  with  loss  of  blood.  Avenant 
immediately  cut  off  his  head ;  and  while  he  was  in  an 
ecstasy  of  joy,  for  his  good  success,  the  crow  perched 
upon  a  tree,  and  said,  "  Avenant,  I  did  not  forget  the 
kindnesses  I  received  at  your  hands,  when  you  killed 
the  eagle  that  pursued  me ;  I  promised  to  make  you 
amends,  and  now  I  have  been  as  good  as  my  word." 
'*  I  acknowledge  your  kindness,  Mr.  Crow,"  replied 
Avenant ; ''  I  am  still  your  debtor,  and  your  servant." 
So  saying,  he  mounted  his  courser,  and  rode  away 
with  the  giant's  horrid  head.  When  he  arrived  at 
the  city,  every  body  crowded  after  him,  crying  out, 
"  hong  live  the  valiant  Avenant,  who  has  slain  the 
cruel  monster !  "  so  that  the  princess,  who  heard  the 
noise,  and  trembling  for  fear  she  should  have  heard 
of  Avenant's  death,  durst  not  inquire  what  was  the 
matter.  But  presently  after,  she  saw  Avenant  enter 
with  the  giant's  head;  at  the  sight  of  which  she 
trembled,  though  there  was  nothing  to  fear. 
"  Madam,"  said  he,  "  behold  your  enemy  is  dead ; 
and  now,  I  hope,  you  will  no  longer  refuse  the  king 
my  master."  "  Alas !  "  replied  the  Fair  One  with 
Locks  of  Gold,  **  I  must  still  refuse  him,  unless  you 
can  find  means  to  bring  me  some  of  the  water  of  the 
gloomy  cave.  Not  far  from  hence,"  continued  she, 
''  there  is  a  very  deep  cave,  about  six  leagues  in  com- 
pass; the  entrance  into  which  is  guarded  by  two 
dragons.  The  dragons  dart  fire  from  their  mouths 
and  eyes;  and  when  you  have  got  into  this  cave, 
you  will  meet  with  a  very  deep  hole,  into  which  you 


190     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

must  go  down,  and  you  will  find  it  full  of  toads, 
adders  and  serpents.  At  the  bottom  of  this  hole 
there  is  a  kind  of  cellar,  through  which  runs  the 
fountain  of  beauty  and  health.  This  is  the  water 
I  must  have ;  its  virtues  are  wonderful ;  for  the 
fair,  by  washing  in  it,  preserve  their  beauty ;  and 
the  deformed  it  renders  beautiful ;  if  they  are  young, 
it  preserves  them  always  youthful ;  and  if  old  it 
makes  them  young  again.  Now  judge  you,  Avenant, 
whether  I  will  ever  leave  my  kingdom  without  carry- 
ing some  of  this  water  along  with  me."  "  Madam," 
said  he,  '*  you  are  so  beautiful,  that  this  water  will 
be  of  no  use  to  you ;  but  I  am  an  unfortunate  am- 
bassador, whose  death  you  seek.  However,  I  will 
go  in  search  of  what  you  desire,  though  I  am  certain 
never  to  return." 

At  length  he  arrived  at  the  top  of  a  mountain, 
where  he  sat  down  to  rest  himself ;  giving  his  horse 
liberty  to  feed,  and  Cabriole  to  run  after  the  flies. 
He  knew  that  the  gloomy  cave  was  not  far  off,  and 
looked  about  to  see  whether  he  could  discover  it ; 
and  at  length  he  perceived  a  horrid  rock  as  black 
as  ink,  whence  issued  a  thick  smoke ;  and  immedi- 
ately after  he  spied  one  of  the  dragons  casting  forth 
fire  from  his  jaws  and  eyes;  his  skin  all  over  yellow 
and  green,  with  prodigious  claws  and  a  long  tail 
rolled  up  in  an  hundred  folds.  Avenant,  with  a 
resolution  to  die  in  the  attempt,  drew  his  sword,  and 
with  the  phial  which  the  Fair  One  with  Locks  of 
Gold  had  given  him  to  fill  with  the  water  of  beauty, 
went  towards  the  cave,  saying  to  his  little  dog,  "  Ca- 
briole, here  is  an  end  of  me ;  I  never  shall  be  able  to 
get  this  water,  it  is  so  well  guarded  by  the  dragons ; 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       191 

therefore  when  I  am  dead,  fill  this  phial  with  my 
blood,  and  carry  it  to  my  princess,  that  she  may 
see  what  her  severity  has  cost  me :  then  go  to  the 
king  my  master  and  give  him  an  account  of  my  mis- 
fortunes." While  he  was  saying  this,  he  heard  a 
voice  call  "  Avenant,  Avenant !  "  *'  Who  calls  me  ?  " 
said  he ;  and  presently  he  espied  an  owl  in  the  hole 
of  an  old  hollow  tree,  who,  calling  him  again,  said, 
'*  You  rescued  me  from  the  fowler's  net,  where  I 
had  been  assuredly  taken,  had  you  not  delivered  me. 
I  promised  to  make  you  amends,  and  now  the  time 
is  come ;  give  me  your  phial ;  I  am  acquainted  with 
all  the  secret  inlets  into  the  gloomy  cave,  and  will 
go  and  fetch  you  the  water  of  beauty."  Avenant 
most  gladly  gave  the  phial,  and  the  owl,  entering 
without  any  impediment  into  the  cave,  filled  it,  and 
in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  returned  with  it 
well  stopped.  Avenant  was  overjoyed  at  his  good 
fortune,  gave  the  owl  a  thousand  thanks,  and  re- 
turned with  a  merry  heart  to  the  city.  Being  ar- 
rived at  the  palace,  he  presented  the  phial  to  the 
Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  who  had  then  noth- 
ing further  to  say.  She  returned  Avenant  thanks, 
and  gave  orders  for  every  thing  that  was  requisite 
for  her  departure :  after  which  she  set  forward  with 
him.  The  Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold  thought 
Avenant  very  amiable,  and  said  to  him  sometimes 
upon  the  road,  "  If  you  had  been  willing,  I  could 
have  made  you  a  king;  and  then  we  need  not  have 
left  my  kingdom."  But  Avenant  replied,  ''  I  would 
not  have  been  guilty  of  such  a  piece  of  treachery  to 
my  master  for  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth ;  though 


192     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

I   must   acknowledge   your  beauties   are   more   re- 
splendent than  the  sun." 

At  length  they  arrived  at  the  king's  chief  city, 
who  understanding  that  the  Fair  One  with  Locks 
of  Gold  was  arrived,  he  went  forth  to  meet  her,  and 
made  her  the  richest  presents  in  the  world.  The 
nuptials  were  solemnized  with  such  demonstrations 
of  joy,  that  nothing  else  was  discoursed  of.  But 
the  Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  who  loved  Ave- 
nant  in  her  heart,  was  never  pleased  but  when  she 
was  in  his  company,  and  would  be  always  speaking 
in  his  praise :  "  I  had  never  come  hither,"  said  she  to 
the  king,  '*  had  it  not  been  for  Avenant,  who,  to 
serve  me,  has  conquered  impossibilities ;  you  are 
infinitely  obliged  to  him ;  he  procured  me  the  water 
of  beauty  and  health ;  by  which  I  shall  never  grow 
old,  and  shall  always  preserve  my  health  and 
beauty."  The  enviers  of  Avenant's  happiness,  who 
heard  the  queen's  words,  said  to  the  king,  "  Were 
your  majesty  inclined  to  be  jealous,  you  have  reason 
enough  to  be  so,  for  the  queen  is  desperately  in  love 
with  Avenant."  ''  Indeed,"  said  the  king,  "  I  am 
sensible  of  the  truth  of  what  you  tell  me ;  let  him  be 
put  in  the  great  tower,  with  fetters  upon  his  feet 
and  hands."  Avenant  was  immediately  seized. 
However,  his  little  dog  Cabriole  never  forsook  him, 
but  cheered  him  the  best  he  could,  and  brought  him 
all  the  news  of  the  court.  When  the  Fair  One  with 
Locks  of  Gold  was  informed  of  his  misfortunes, 
she  threw  herself  at  the  king's  feet,  and  all  in  tears 
besought  him  to  release  Avenant  out  of  prison.  But 
the  more  she  besought  him  the  more  he  was  in- 
censed, believing  it  was  her  affection  that  made  her 


The  Fair  One  with  the  Golden  Locks       193 

so  zealous  a  suppliant  in  his  behalf.  Finding  she 
could  not  prevail,  she  said  no  more  to  him,  but 
grew  very  pensive  and  melancholy. 

The  king  took  it  into  his  head  that  she  did  not 
think  him  handsome  enough ;  so  he  resolved  to  wash 
his  face  with  the  water  of  beauty,  in  hopes  that  the 
queen  would  then  conceive  a  greater  affection  for 
him  than  she  had.  This  water  stood  in  a  phial  upon 
a  table  in  the  queen's  chamber,  where  she  had  put 
it,  that  it  might  not  be  out  of  her  sight.  But  one 
of  the  chambermaids  going  to  kill  a  spider  with 
her  besom,  by  accident  threw  down  the  phial,  and 
broke  it,  so  that  the  water  was  lost.  She  dried  it 
up  with  all  the  speed  she  could,  and  not  knowing 
what  to  do,  she  bethought  herself  that  she  had  seen 
a  phial  of  clear  water  in  the  king's  cabinet  very  like 
that  she  had  broken.  Without  any  more  ado,  there- 
fore, she  went  and  fetched  that  phial,  and  set  it 
upon  the  table  in  place  of  the  other.  This  water 
which  was  in  the  king's  cabinet,  was  a  certain  water 
which  he  made  use  of  to  poison  the  great  lords  and 
princes  of  his  court  when  they  were  convicted  of  any 
great  crime ;  to  which  purpose,  instead  of  cutting  off 
their  heads,  or  hanging  them,  he  caused  their  faces 
to  be  rubbed  with  this  water,  which  cast  them  into 
so  profound  a  sleep  that  they  never  waked  again. 
Now  the  king  one  evening  took  this  phial,  and 
rubbed  his  face  w^ll  with  the  water,  after  which  he 
fell  asleep  and  died.  Cabriole  was  one  of  the  first 
that  came  to  a  knowledge  of  this  accident,  and  im- 
mediately ran  to  inform  Avenant  of  it  who  bid 
him  go  to  the  Fair  One  with  Locks  of  Gold,  and 
remind  her  of  the  poor  prisoner.     Cabriole  slipped 


194     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

unperceived  through  the  crowd,  for  there  was  a 
great  noise  and  hurry  at  court  upon  the  king's 
death ;  and  getting  to  the  queen,  "  Madam,"  said  he, 
"  remember  poor  Avenant."  She  presently  called 
to  mind  the  afflictions  he  had  suffered  for  her  sake, 
and  his  fidelity.  Without  speaking  a  word,  she  went 
directly  to  the  great  tower,  and  took  off  the  fetters 
from  Avenant's  feet  and  hands  herself ;  after  which, 
putting  the  crown  upon  his  head,  and  the  royal  man- 
tle about  his  shoulders,  "  Amiable  Avenant,"  said 
she,  "  I  will  make  you  a  sovereign  prince,  and  take 
you  for  my  consort."  Avenant  threw  himself  at  her 
feet,  and  in  terms  the  most  passionate  and  respect- 
ful returned  her  thanks.  Every  body  was  overjoyed 
to  have  him  for  their  king:  the  nuptials  were  the 
most  splendid  in  the  world;  and  the  Fair  One 
with  Locks  of  Gold  lived  a  long  time  with  her  be- 
loved Avenant,  both  happy  and  contented  in  the 
enjoyment  of  each  other. 


CHAPTER   XII 

TOM   THUMB 

In  the  days  of  King  Arthur,  Merlin,  the  most 
learned  enchanter  of  his  time,  was  on  a  journey; 
and,  being  very  weary,  stopped  one  day  at  the  cot- 
tage of  an  honest  ploughman  to  ask  for  refresh- 
ment. The  ploughman's  wife,  with  great  civility, 
immediately  brought  him  some  milk  in  a  wooden 
bowl,  and  some  brown  bread  on  a  wooden  platter. 
Merlin  could  not  help  observing,  that,  although 
every  thing  within  the  cottage  was  particularly  neat 
and  clean,  and  in  good  order,  the  ploughman  and 
his  wife  had  the  most  sorrowful  air  imaginable.  So 
he  questioned  them  on  the  cause  of  their  melancholy, 
and  learned  that  they  were  very  miserable  because 
they  had  no  children.  The  poor  woman  declared, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes,  that  she  should  be  the  hap- 
piest creature  in  the  world  if  she  had  a  son,  al- 
though he  were  no  bigger  than  his  father's  thumb. 
Merlin  was  much  amused  with  the  thoughts  of  a  boy 
no  bigger  than  a  man's  thumb,  and,  as  soon  as  he 
returned  home,  he  sent  for  the  queen  of  the  fairies 
(with  whom  he  was  very  intimate),  and  related  to 
her  the  desire  of  the  ploughman  and  his  wife  to 
have  a  son  the  size  of  his  father's  thumb.  The 
queen  of  the  fairies  liked  the  plan  exceedingly,  and 


iq6     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

declared  their  wish  should  speedily  be  granted.  Ac- 
cordingly the  ploughman's  wife  had  a  son,  who  in 
a  few  minutes  grew  as  tall  as  his  father's  thumb. 
The  queen  of  the  fairies  came  in  at  the  window  as 
the  mother  was  sitting  up  in  be:l  admiring  the 
child.  The  queen  kissed  the  infant,  and  giving  it 
the  name  of  Tom  Thumb,  immediately  summoned 
several  fairies  from  Fairy  Land  to  pJothe  her  little 
new  favourite : 

**  An  oak  leaf  hat  he  had  for  his  crowh^ 
His  shirt  it  was  by  spiders  spun ; 
With  doublet  wove  of  thistle's  down, 
His  trousers  up  with  points  were  done. 
His  stockings,  of  apple  rind,  they  tie 
With  eye-lash  plucked  from  his  mother's  eye, 
His  shoes  were  made  of  a  mouse's  skin, 
Nicely  tanned,  with  the  hair  within." 

Tom  never  was  any  bigger  than  his  father's 
thumb,  which  was  not  a  large  thumb  either ;  but,  as 
he  grew  older,  he  became  very  cunning  and  sly,  for 
which  his  mother  did  not  sufficiently  correct  him, 
so  that  when  he  was  able  to  play  with  the  boys  for 
cherry  stones,  and  had  lost  all  his  own,  he  used  to 
creep  into  the  boys'  bags,  fill  his  pockets,  and  come 
out  again  to  play.  But  one  day  as  he  was  getting  out 
of  a  bag  of  cherry  stones,  the  boy  to  whom  it  be- 
longed chanced  to  see  him.  ''  Ah  ha,  my  little  Tom 
Thumb !  "  said  the  boy,  "  have  I  caught  you  at  your 
bad  tricks  at  last?  Now  I  will  reward  you  for 
thieving."  Then  drawing  the  string  tight  round 
his     neck,     and     shaking    the     bag    heartily,     the 


Tom  Thumb  197 

cherry  stones  bruised  Tom's  legs,  thighs,  and 
body  sadly ;  which  made  him  beg  to  be  let  out,  and 
promise  never  to  be  guilty  of  such  things  any  more. 
Shortly  afterwards,  Tom's  mother  was  making  a 
batter  pudding,  and,  that  he  might  see  how  she 
mixed  it,  he  climbed  on  the  edge  of  the  bowl ;  but  his 
foot  happening  to  slip,  he  fell  over  head  and  ears 
into  the  batter,  and  his  mother  not  observing  him, 
stirred  him  into  the  pudding,  and  popped  him  into 
the  pot  to  boil.  The  hot  water  made  Tom  kick  and 
struggle ;  and  his  mother,  seeing  the  pudding  jump 
up  and  down  in  such  a  furious  manner,  thought  it 
was  bewitched;  and  a  tinker  coming  by  just  at  the 
time,  she  quickly  gave  him  the  pudding,  who  put 
it  into  his  budget  and  walked  on. 

As  soon  as  Tom  could  get  the  batter  out  of  his 
mouth,  he  began  to  cry  aloud;  which  so  frightened 
the  poor  tinker,  that  he  flung  the  pudding  over  the 
hedge,  and  ran  away  from  it  as  fast  as  he  could  run. 
The  pudding  being  broken  to  pieces  by  the  fall,  Tom 
was  released,  and  walked  home  to  his  mother,  who 
gave  him  a  kiss  and  put  him  to  bed.  Tom  Thumb's 
mother  once  took  him  with  her  when  she  went  to 
milk  the  cow;  and  it  being  a  very  windy  day,  she 
tied  him  with  a  needleful  of  thread  to  a  thistle,  that 
he  might  not  be  blown  away.  The  cow  liking  his 
oak  leaf  hat  took  him  and  the  thistle  up  at  one 
mouthful.  While  the  cow  chewed  the  thistle,  Tom, 
terrified  at  her  great  teeth,  which  seemed  ready  to 
crush  him  to  pieces,  roared,  ''Mother,  Mother!"  as 
loud  as  he  could  bawl.  "  Where  are  you.  Tommy, 
my  dear  Tommy  ? "  said  the  mother.  "  Here, 
mother,  here  in  the  red  cow's  mouth."    The  mother 


198     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

began  to  cry  and  wring  her  hands ;  but  the  cow  sur- 
prised at  such  odd  noises  in  her  throat,  opened  her 
mouth  and  let  him  drop  out.  His  mother  clapped 
him  into  her  apron,  and  ran  home  with  him.  Tom's 
father  made  him  a  whip  of  a  barley  straw  to  drive 
the  cattle  with,  and  being  one  day  in  the  field,  he 
slipped  into  a  deep  furrow.  A  raven  flying  over, 
picked  him  up  with  a  grain  of  corn,  and  flew  with 
him  to  the  top  of  a  giant's  castle,  by  the  seaside, 
where  he  left  him ;  and  old  Grumbo  the  giant,  com- 
ing soon  after  to  walk  upon  his  terrace,  swallowed 
Tom  like  a  pill,  clothes  and  all.  Tom  presently  made 
the  giant  very  uncomfortable,  and  he  threw  him  up 
into  the  sea.  A  great  fish  then  swallowed  him.  The 
fish  was  soon  after  caught,  and  sent  as  a  present  to 
King  Arthur.  When  it  was  cut  open,  every  body 
was  delighted  with  little  Tom  Thumb.  The  king 
made  him  his  dwarf;  he  was  the  favourite  of  the 
whole  court;  and,  by  his  merry  pranks,  often 
amused  the  queen  and  the  knights  of  the  Round  Ta- 
ble. The  king,  when  he  rode  on  horseback,  fre- 
quently took  Tom  in  his  hand ;  and,  if  a  shower  of 
rain  came  on,  he  used  to  creep  into  the  king's  waist- 
coat pocket,  and  sleep  till  the  rain  was  over.  The 
king  also,  sometimes  questioned  Tom  concerning  his 
parents ;  and  when  Tom  informed  his  majesty  they 
were  very  poor  people,  the  king  led  him  into  his 
treasury,  and  told  him  he  should  pay  his  friends  a 
visit,  and  take  with  him  as  much  money  as  he  could 
carry.  Tom  procured  a  little  purse,  and  putting  a 
threepenny  piece  into  it,  with  much  labour  and  diffi- 
culty got  it  upon  his  back ;  and,  after  travelling  two 
days  and  nights,  arrived  at  his  father's  house. 


Tom  Thumb  199 

His  mother  met  him  at  the  door,  ahiiost  tired  to 
death,  having  in  forty-eight  hours  travelled  almost 
half  a  mile  with  a  huge  silver  threepence  upon  his 
back.  His  parents  were  glad  to  see  him,  especially 
when  he  had  brought  such  an  amazing  sum  of  money 
with  him.  They  placed  him  in  a  walnut  shell  by  the 
fire  side,  and  feasted  him  for  three  days  upon  a 
hazel  nut,  which  made  him  sick,  for  a  whole  nut 
usually  served  him  a  month.  Tom  got  well,  but 
could  not  travel  because  it  had  rained ;  therefore 
his  mother  took  him  in  her  hand,  and  with  one  puff 
blew  him  into  King  Arthur's  court ;  where  Tom  en- 
tertained the  king,  queen,  and  nobility  at  tilts  and 
tournaments,  at  which  he  exerted  himself  so  much 
that  he  brought  on  a  fit  of  sickness,  and  his  life  was 
despaired  of.  At  this  juncture  the  queen  of  the 
fairies  came  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  flying  mice, 
placed  Tom  by  her  side,  and  drove  through  the  air, 
without  stopping  till  they  arrived  at  her  palace; 
when,  after  restoring  him  to  health,  and  permitting 
him  to  enjoy  all  the  gay  diversions  of  Fairy  Land, 
the  queen  commanded  a  fair  wind,  and,  placing  Tom 
before  it,  blew  him  straight  to  the  court  of  King 
Arthur.  But  just  as  Tom  should  have  alighted  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  palace,  the  cook  happened  to 
pass  along  with  the  king's  great  bowl  of  firmity 
(King  Arthur  loved  firmity),  and  poor  Tom  Thumb 
fell  plump  into  the  middle  of  it  and  splashed  the  hot 
firmity  into  the  cook's  eyes.  Down  went  the  bowl. 
''  Oh  dear ;  oh  dear !  "  cried  Tom ;  "  Murder !  mur- 
der !  "  bellowed  the  cook !  and  away  ran  the  king's 
nice  firmity  into  the  kennel.  The  cook  was  a  red- 
faced,  cross  fellow,  and  swore  to  the  king,  that  Tom 


200     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

had  done  it  out  of  mere  mischief;  so  he  was  taken 
up,  tried,  and  sentenced  to  be  beheaded.  Tom  hear- 
ing this  dreadful  sentence,  and  seeing  a  miller 
stand  by  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  he  took  a  good 
spring,  and  jumped  down  the  miller's  throat,  unper- 
ceived  by  all,  even  by  the  miller  himself. 

Tom  being  lost,  the  court  broke  up,  and  away  went 
the  miller  to  his  mill.  But  Tom  did  not  leave  him 
long  at  rest,  he  began  to  roll  and  tumble  about, 
so  that  the  miller  thought  himself  bewitched,  and 
sent  for  a  doctor.  When  the  doctor  came,  Tom  be- 
gan to  dance  and  sing;  the  doctor  was  as  much 
frightened  as  the  miller,  and  sent  in  great  haste  for 
five  more  doctors,  and  twenty  learned  men.  While 
all  these  were  debating  upon  the  affair,  the  miller 
(for  they  were  very  tedious)  happened  to  yawn, 
and  Tom,  taking  the  opportunity,  made  another 
jump,  and  alighted  on  his  feet  in  the  middle  of  the 
table.  The  miller,  provoked  to  be  thus  tormented 
by  such  a  little  creature,  fell  into  a  great  passion, 
caught  hold  of  Tom,  and  threw  him  out  of  the  win- 
dow, into  the  river.  A  large  salmon  swimming  by, 
snapped  him  up  in  a  minute.  The  salmon  was  soon 
caught  and  sold  in  the  market  to  the  steward  of  a 
lord.  The  lord,  thinking  it  an  uncommon  fine  fish, 
made  a  present  of  it  to  the  king,  who  ordered  it  to 
be  dressed  immediately.  When  the  cook  cut  open 
the  salmon,  he  found  poor  Tom,  and  ran  with  him 
directly  to  the  king;  but  the  king  being  busy  with 
state  affairs,  desired  that  he  might  be  brought  an- 
other day.  The  cook  resolving  to  keep  him  safely 
this  time,  as  he  had  so  lately  given  him  the  slip, 
clapped  him  into  a  mouse-trap,  and  left  him  to  amuse 


Tom  Thumb  201 

himself  by  peeping  through  the  wires  for  a  whole 
week;  when  the  king  sent  for  him,  he  forgave  him 
for  throwing  down  the  firmity,  ordered  him  new 
clothes  and  knighted  him. 

"  His  shirt  was  made  of  butterflies'  wings ; 
His  boots  were  made  of  chicken  skins ; 
His  coat  and  breeches  were  made  with  pride ; 
A  tailor's  needle  hung  by  his  side ; 
A  mouse  for  a  horse  he  used  to  ride." 

Thus  dressed  and  mounted,  he  rode  a  hunting 
with  the  king  and  nobility,  who  all  laughed  heartily 
at  Tom  and  his  fine  prancing  steed.  As  they  rode 
by  a  farm  house  one  day,  a  cat  jumped  from  be- 
hind the  door,  seized  the  mouse  and  little  Tom,  and 
began  to  devour  the  mouse.  However,  Tom  boldly 
drew  his  sword  and  attacked  the  cat,  who  then  let 
him  fall.  The  king  and  his  nobles  seeing  Tom  fall- 
ing, went  to  his  assistance,  and  one  of  the  lords 
caught  him  in  his  hat;  but  poor  Tom  was  sadly 
scratched,  and  his  clothes  were  torn  by  the  claws 
of  the  cat.  In  this  condition  he  was  carried  home, 
when  a  bed  of  down  was  made  for  him  in  a  little 
ivory  cabinet.  The  queen  of  the  fairies  came,  and 
took  him  again  to  Fairy  Land,  where  she  kept  him 
for  some  years;  and  then,  dressing  him  in  bright 
green,  sent  him  flying  once  more  through  the  air 
to  the  earth,  in  the  days  of  King  Thunstone.  The 
people  flocked  far  and  near  to  look  at  him ;  and  the 
king,  before  whom  he  was  carried,  asked  him  who 
he  was,  whence  he  came,  and  where  he  lived  ?  Tom 
answered : 


202     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

**  My  name  is  Tom  Thumb, 
From  the  Fairies  I  come ; 
When  King  Arthur  shone, 
This  court  was  my  home. 
In  me  he  deHghted, 
By  him  I  was  knighted, 
Did  you  never  hear  of 
Sir  Thomas  Thumb  ?  " 

The  king  was  so  charmed  with  this  address,  that 
he  ordered  a  Httle  chair  to  be  made,  in  order  that 
Tom  might  sit  on  his  table,  and  also  a  palace  of  gold 
a  span  high,  with  a  door  an  inch  wide,  for  little  Tom 
to  live  in.  He  also  gave  him  a  coach  drawn  by  six 
small  mice.  This  made  the  queen  angry,  because  she 
had  not  a  new  coach  too.  Therefore,  resolving  to 
ruin  Tom,  she  complained  to  the  king  that  he  had 
behaved  very  insolently  to  her.  The  king  sent  for 
him  in  a  rage.  Tom,  to  escape  his  fury,  crept  into 
an  empty  snail-shell,  and  there  lay  till  he  was  al- 
most starved ;  when  peeping  out  of  the  shell,  he  saw 
a  fine  butterfly  settled  on  the  ground.  He  now  ven- 
tured out,  and  getting  astride,  the  butterfly  took 
wing,  and  mounted  into  the  air  with  little  Tom  on 
his  back.  Away  he  flew  from  field  to  field,  from 
tree  to  tree,  till  at  last  he  flew  to  the  king's  court. 
The  king,  queen,  and  nobles,  all  strove  to  catch  the 
butterfly,  but  could  not.  At  length  poor  Tom,  hav- 
ing neither  bridle  nor  saddle,  slipped  from  his  seat, 
and  fell  into  a  white  pot,  where  he  was  found  almost 
drowned.  The  queen  vowed  he  should  be  guillo- 
tined :  but  while  the  guillotine  was  getting  ready, 
he  was  secured  once  more  in  a  mouse-trap;  when 


Tom  Thumb  203 

the  cat  seeing  something  stir,  and  supposing  it  to  be 
a  mouse,  patted  the  trap  about  till  she  broke  it,  and 
set  Tom  at  liberty.  Soon  afterwards  a  spider,  tak- 
ing him  for  a  fly,  made  at  him.  Tom  drew  his 
sword  and  fought  valiantly,  but  the  spider's  poison- 
ous breath  overcame  him : 

*'  He  fell  dead  on  the  ground  where  late  he  had 

stood, 
And  the  spider  sucked  up  the  last  drop  of  his  blood." 

King  Thunstone  and  his  whole  court  went  into 
mourning  for  little  Tom  Thumb.  They  buried  him 
under  a  rosebush,  and  raised  a  nice  white  marble 
monument  over  his  grave,  with  the  following  epi- 
taph : 

"  Here  lies  Tom  Thumb,  King  Arthur's  knight. 
Who  died  by  spider's  cruel  bite. 
He  was  well  known  in  Arthur's  court, 
Where  he  afforded  gallant  sport ; 
He  rode  at  tilt  and  tournament. 
And  on  a  mouse  a  hunting  went ; 
Alive  he  filled  the  court  with  mirth. 
His  death  to  sorrow  soon  gave  birth. 
Wipe,  wipe  your  eyes,  and  shake  your  head 
And  cry,  '  Alas  1  Tom  Thumb  is  dead.'  " 


CHAPTER   XIII 


BLUE    BEARD 


There  was,  some  time  ago,  a  gentleman  who  was 
very  rich.  He  had  fine  town  and  country  houses,  his 
dishes  and  plates  were  all  of  gold  or  silver,  his 
rooms  were  hung  with  damask,  his  chairs  and  sofas 
were  covered  with  the  richest  silks,  and  his  carriages 
were  all  gilt  with  gold  in  a  grand  style.  But  it 
happened  that  this  gentleman  had  a  blue  beard, 
which  made  him  so  very  frightful  and  ugly,  that 
none  of  the  ladies,  in  the  parts  where  he  lived,  would 
venture  to  go  into  his  company.  Now  there  was  a 
certain  lady  of  rank,  who  lived  very  near  him,  and 
had  two  daughters,  both  of  them  of  very  great 
beauty.  Blue  Beard  asked  her  to  bestow  one  of 
them  upon  him  for  a  wife,  and  left  it  to  herself  to 
choose  which  of  the  two  it  should  be.  But  both 
the  young  ladies  again  and  again  said  they  would 
never  marry  Blue  Beard ;  yet,  to  be  as  civil  as  they 
could,  each  of  them  said,  the  only  reason  why  she 
would  not  have  him  was,  because  she  was  loath  to 
hinder  her  sister  from  the  match,  which  would  be 
such  a  good  one  for  her.  Still  the  truth  of  the 
matter  was,  they  could  neither  of  them  bear  the 
thoughts  of  having  a  husband  with  a  blue  beard ; 
and  besides,  they  had  heard  of  his  having  been  mar- 


Blue  Beard  205 

ried  to  several  wives  before,  and  nobody  could  tell 
what  had  ever  become  of  any  of  them.  As  Blue 
Beard  wished  very  much  to  gain  their  favour,  he 
asked  the  lady  and  her  daughters,  and  some  ladies 
who  were  on  a  visit  at  their  house,  to  go  with  him 
to  one  of  his  country  seats,  where  they  spent  a  whole 
week,  during  which  they  passed  all  their  time  in 
nothing  but  parties  for  hunting  and  fishing,  music, 
dancing,  and  feasts.  No  one  even  thought  of  going 
to  bed,  and  the  nights  were  passed  in  merry-makings 
of  all  kinds.  In  short,  the  time  rolled  on  in  so  much 
pleasure,  that  the  youngest  of  the  two  sisters  began 
to  think  that  the  beard  which  she  had  been  so  much 
afraid  of,  was  not  so  very  blue,  and  that  the  gentle- 
man who  owned  it  was  vastly  civil  and  pleasing. 
Soon  after  their  return  home,  she  told  her  mother 
that  she  had  no  longer  any  dislike  to  accept  of  Blue 
Beard  for  her  husband ;  and  in  a  very  short  time 
they  were  married. 

About  a  month  after  the  marriage  had  taken 
place,  Blue  Beard  told  his  wife  that  he  should  be 
forced  to  leave  her  for  a  few  weeks,  as  he  had 
some  affairs  to  attend  to  in  the  country.  He 
desired  her  to  be  sure  to  indulge  herself  in  every 
kind  of  pleasure,  to  invite  as  many  of  her  friends 
as  she  liked,  and  to  treat  them  with  all  sorts  of 
dainties,  that  her  time  might  pass  pleasantly  till  he 
came  back  again.  "  Here,"  said  he,  ''  are  the  keys 
of  the  two  large  wardrobes.  This  is  the  key  of  the 
great  box  that  contains  the  best  plate,  which  we  use 
for  company,  this  belongs  to  my  strong  box,  where 
I  keep  my  money,  and  this  belongs  to  the  casket, 
in  which  are  all  my  jewels.     Here  also  is  a  master- 


2c6     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

key  to  all  the  rooms  in  the  house ;  but  this  small  key 
belongs  to  the  closet  at  the  end  of  the  long  gallery 
on  the  ground  floor.  I  give  you  leave,"  said  he, 
"  to  open,  or  to  do  what  you  like  with  all  the  rest 
except  this  closet.  This,  my  dear,  you  must  not 
enter,  nor  even  put  the  key  into  the  lock,  for  all  the 
world.  If  you  do  not  obey  me  in  this  one  thing, 
you  must  expect  the  most  dreadful  punishments." 
She  promised  to  obey  his  orders  in  the  most  faith- 
ful manner ;  and  Blue  Beard,  after  kissing  her  ten- 
derly, stepped  into  his  coach,  and  drove  away. 

When  Blue  Beard  was  gone,  the  friends  of  his 
wife  did  not  wait  to  be  asked,  so  eager  were  they 
to  see  all  the  riches  and  fine  things  she  had  gained 
by  marriage ;  for  they  had  none  of  them  gone  to 
the  wedding,  on  account  of  their  dislike  to  the 
blue  beard  of  the  bridegroom.  As  soon  as  ever 
they  came  to  the  house,  they  ran  about  from  room 
to  room,  from  closet  to  closet,  and  then  from  ward- 
robe to  wardrobe,  looking  into  each  with  wonder 
and  delight,  and  said,  that  every  fresh  one  they 
came  to,  was  richer  and  finer  than  what  they  had 
seen  the  moment  before.  At  last  they  came  to  the 
drawing-rooms,  where  their  surprise  was  made  still 
greater  by  the  costly  grandeur  of  the  hangings,  the 
sofas,  the  chairs,  carpets,  tables,  sideboards,  and 
looking-glasses ;  the  frames  of  these  last  were  silver- 
gilt,  most  richly  adorned,  and  in  the  glasses  they 
saw  themselves  from  head  to  foot.  In  short,  noth- 
ing could  exceed  the  richness  of  what  they  saw ;  and 
they  all  did  not  fail  to  admire  and  envy  the  good 
fortune  of  their  friend.  But  all  this  time  the  bride 
herself    was    far    from    thinking    about    the    fine 


Blue  Beard  207 

speeches  they  made  to  her,  for  she  was  eager  to  see 
what  was  in  the  closet  her  husband  had  told  her  not 
to  open.  So  great,  indeed,  was  her  desire  to  do  this, 
that,  without  once  thinking  how  rude  it  would  be  to 
leave  her  guests,  she  slipped  away  down  a  private 
staircase  that  led  to  this  forbidden  closet,  and  in 
such  a  hurry,  that  she  was  two  or  three  times  in 
danger  of  falling  down  stairs  and  breaking  her 
neck. 

When  she  reached  the  door  of  the  closet,  she 
stopped  for  a  few  moments  to  think  of  the  order 
her  husband  had  given  her,  and  how  he  had  told 
her  that  he  would  not  fail  to  keep  his  word  and 
punish  her  very  severely,  if  she  did  not  obey  him. 
But  she  was  so  very  curious  to  know  what  was  in- 
side, that  she  made  up  her  mind  to  venture  in  spite 
of  every  thing.  She  then,  with  a  trembling  hand, 
put  the  key  into  the  lock,  and  the  door  straight  flew 
open.  As  the  window  shutters  were  closed,  she  at 
first  could  see  nothing ;  but  in  a  short  time  she  saw 
that  the  floor  was  covered  with  clotted  blood,  on 
which  the  bodies  of  several  dead  women  were  lying. 

These  were  all  the  wives  whom  Blue  Beard  had 
married,  and  killed  one  after  another.  At  this  sight 
she  was  ready  to  sink  with  fear,  and  the  key  of  the 
closet  door,  which  she  held  in  her  hand,  fell  on  the 
floor.  When  she  had  a  little  got  the  better  of  her 
fright,  she  took  it  up,  locked  the  door,  and  made 
haste  back  to  her  own  room,  that  she  might  have  a 
little  time  to  get  into  a  humour  to  amuse  her  com- 
pany ;  but  this  she  could  not  do,  so  great  was  her 
fright  at  what  she  had  seen.  As  she  found  that  the 
key  of  the  closet  had  got  stained  with  blood  in  fall- 


2o8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ing  on  the  floor,  she  wiped  it  two  or  three  times  over 
to  clean  it ;  yet  still  the  blood  kept  on  it  the  same  as 
before.  She  next  w^ashed  it,  but  the  blood  did  not 
move  at  all.  She  then  scoured  it  with  brickdust, 
and  after  with  sand,  but  in  spite  of  all  she  could  do, 
the  blood  was  still  there ;  for  the  key  was  a  fairy 
who  was  Blue  Beard's  friend ;  so  that  as  fast  as  she 
got  off  the  blood  on  one  side,  it  came  again  on  the 
other.  Early  in  the  same  evening  Blue  Beard  came 
home,  saying,  that  before  he  had  gone  far  on  his 
journey  he  was  met  by  a  horseman,  who  was  com- 
ing to  tell  him  that  his  affair  in  the  country  was 
settled  without  his  being  present ;  upon  which  his 
wife  said  every  thing  she  could  think  of,  to  make 
him  believe  she  was  in  a  transport  of  joy  at  his 
sudden  return. 

The  next  morning  he  asked  her  for  the  keys : 
she  gave  them  to  him ;  but  as  she  could  not  help 
showing  her  fright,  Blue  Beard  easily  guessed  what 
had  been  the  matter.  "  How  is  it,"  said  he,  "  that 
the  key  of  the  closet  upon  the  ground  floor  is  not 
here?''  ''Is  it  not?"  said  the  wife,  "then  I  must 
have  left  it  on  my  dressing-table.  "  Be  sure  you 
give  it  me  by  and  by,"  replied  Blue  Beard.  After 
going  a  good  many  times  backwards  and  forwards, 
as  if  she  was  looking  for  the  key,  she  was  at  last 
forced  to  give  it  to  Blue  Beard.  He  looked  hard 
at  it,  and  then  said :  "  How  came  this  blood  upon 
the  key?  "  **  I  am  sure  I  do  not  know,"  replied  the 
poor  lady,  at  the  same  time  turning  as  white  as  a 
sheet.  ''You  do  not  know?"  said  Blue  Beard 
sternly,  *'  but  I  know  well  enough.  You  have  been 
in  the  closet  on    the    ground  floor!     Very    well, 


Bine  Beard  209 

madam :  since  you  are  so  mighty  fond  of  this  closet, 
you  shall  be  sure  to  take  your  place  among  the  ladies 
you  saw  there."  His  wife,  who  was  almost  dead 
with  fear,  now  fell  upon  her  knees,  asked  his  pardon 
a  thousand  times  for  her  fault,  and  begged  him  to 
forgive  her,  looking  all  the  time  so  very  mournful 
and  lovely,  that  she  would  have  melted  any  heart 
that  was  not  harder  than  a  rock.  But  Blue  Beard 
only  said,  "  No,  no,  madam ;  you  shall  die  this  very 
minute  !  "  "  Alas  !  "  said  the  poor  trembling  creat- 
ure, "  if  I  must  die,  give  me,  as  least,  a  little  time 
to  say  my  prayers."  "  I  give  you,"  replied  the  cruel 
Blue  Beard,  '*  half  a  quarter  of  an  hour :  not  a 
moment  longer."  When  Blue  Beard  had  left  her  to 
herself,  she  called  her  sister;  and  after  telling  her, 
as  well  as  she  could  for  sobbing,  that  she  had  but 
half  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  live ;  "  Prithee,"  said 
she,  "  sister  Anne,"  (this  was  her  sister's  name), 
run  up  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  and  see  if  my 
brothers  are  not  in  sight,  for  they  said  they  would 
visit  me  to-day,  and  if  you  see  them,  make  a  sign 
for  them  to  gallop  on  as  fast  as  ever  they  can."  Her 
sister  straight  did  as  she  was  desired;  and  the  poor 
trembling  lady  every  minute  cried  out  to  her: 
"  Anne!  sister  Anne!  do  you  see  any  one  coming?  " 
Her  sister  said,  "  I  see  nothing  but  the  sun,  which 
makes  a  dust,  and  the  grass,  which  looks  green." 

In  the  meanwhile.  Blue  Beard,  with  a  great  cim- 
eter  in  his  hand,  bawled  as  loud  as  he  could  to  his 
wife,  "  Come  down  at  once,  or  I  will  fetch  you." 
"  One  moment  longer,  I  beseech  you,"  replied  she, 
and  again  called  softly  to  her  sister,  "  Sister  Anne, 
do    you    see  any  one    coming?"      To  which  she 


2IO     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

answered,  ''  I  see  nothing  but  the  sun,  which  makes 
a  dust,  and  the  grass,  which  looks  green."  Blue 
Beard  now  again  bawled  out,  ''  Come  down,  I  say, 
this  very  moment,  or  I  shall  come  to  fetch  you." 
"  I  am  coming ;  indeed  I  will  come  in  one  minute," 
sobbed  his  wretched  wife.  Then  she  once  more 
cried  out,  "  Anne !  sister  Anne !  do  you  see  any  one 
coming?"  *' I  see,"  said  her  sister,  '*  a  cloud  of 
dust  a  little  to  the  left."  "  Do  you  think  it  is  my 
brothers  ?  "  said  the  wife.  ''  Alas  !  no,  dear  sister," 
replied  she,  ''  it  is  only  a  flock  of  sheep."  ''  Will 
you  come  down,  madam  ?  "  said  Blue  Beard,  in  the 
greatest  rage.  "  Only  one  single  moment  more," 
said  she.  And  then  she  called  out  for  the  last  time, 
"  Sister  Anne !  sister  Anne !  do  you  see  no  one  com- 
ing? "I  see,"  replied  her  sister,  ''two  men  on 
horseback  coming;  but  they  are  still  a  great  way, 
off."  "  Thank  God,"  cried  she,  "  they  are  my 
brothers ;  beckon  them  to  make  haste."  Blue  Beard 
now  cried  out  so  loud  for  her  to  come  down,  that 
his  voice  shook  the  whole  house.  The  poor  lady, 
with  her  hair  loose,  and  all  in  tears,  now  came  down, 
and  fell  on  her  kness,  begging  him  to  spare  her 
life ;  but  he  stopped  her,  saying,  *'  All  this  is  of  no 
use,  for  you  shall  die :  "  and  then,  seizing  her  by 
the  hair,  raised  his  cimeter  to  strike  off  her  head. 
The  poor  woman  now  begged  a  single  moment  to 
say  one  prayer.  "  No,  no,"  said  Blue  Beard,  "  I 
will  give  you  no  more  time.  You  have  had  too 
much  already."  And  again  he  raised  his  arm.  Just 
at  this  instant  a  loud  knocking  was  heard  at  the 
gates,  which  made  Blue  Beard  wait  for  a  moment  to 
see  who  it  was.    The  gates  now  flew  open,  and  two 


Bhie  Beard  211 

officers,  dressed  in  their  uniform,  came  in,  and,  with 
their  swords  in  their  hands,  ran  straight  to  Bkie 
Beard,  who,  seeing  they  were  his  wife's  brothers, 
tried  to  escape  from  their  presence ;  but  they  pur- 
sued and  seized  him  before  he  had  gone  twenty 
steps,  and  plunging  their  swords  into  his  body  he 
fell  down  dead  at  their  feet. 

The  poor  wife,  who  was  almost  as  dead  as  her 
husband,  was  not  able  at  first  to  rise  and  embrace 
her  brothers ;  but  she  soon  came  to  herself ;  and,  as 
Blue  Beard  had  no  heirs,  she  found  herself  the 
owner  of  his  great  riches.  She  gave  a  part  of  his 
vast  fortune  as  a  marriage  dowry  to  her  sister  Anne, 
who  soon  after  became  the  wife  of  a  young  gentle- 
man who  had  long  loved  her.  Some  of  the  money 
she  laid  out  in  buying  captains'  commissions  for  her 
two  brothers,  and  the  rest  she  gave  to  a  worthy 
gentleman  whom  she  married  shortly  after,  and 
whose  kind  treatment  soon  made  her  forget  Blue 
Beard's  cruelty. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

CINDERELLA  ;  OR,  THE  LITTLE  GLASS  SLIPPER 

There  was  once  a  very  rich  gentleman  who  lost 
his  wife,  and  having  loved  her  exceedingly,  he  was 
very  sorry  when  she  died.  Finding  himself  quite 
unhappy  for  her  loss,  he  resolved  to  marry  a  second 
time,  thinking  by  this  means  he  should  be  as  happy 
as  before.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  lady  he 
chanced  to  fix  upon  was  the  proudest  and  most 
haughty  woman  ever  known ;  she  was  always  out 
of  humour  with  every  one ;  nobody  could  please  her, 
and  she  returned  the  civilities  of  those  about  her  with 
the  most  affronting  disdain.  She  had  two  daugh- 
ters by  a  former  husband.  These  she  brought  up  to 
be  proud  and  idle.  Indeed,  in  temper  and  behaviour 
they  perfectly  resembled  their  mother;  they  did  not 
love  their  books,  and  would  not  learn  to  work;  in 
short  they  were  disliked  by  every  body.  The  gentle- 
man on  his  side  too  had  a  daughter,  who  in  sweet- 
ness of  temper  and  carriage  was  the  exact  likeness 
of  her  own  mother,  whose  death  he  had  so  much 
lamented,  and  whose  tender  care  of  the  little  girl  he 
was  in  hopes  to  see  replaced  by  that  of  his  new  bride. 
But  scarcely  was  the  marriage  ceremony  over,  before 
his  wife  began  to  show  her  real  temper.  She  could 
not  bear  the  pretty  little  girl,  because  her  sweet 
obliging  manners  made  those  of  her  own  daughters 


Cinderella;  or,  The  Little  Glass  Slipper     213 

appear  a  thousand  times  the  more  odious  and  dis- 
agreeable. She  therefore  ordered  her  to  Hve  in  the 
kitchen ;  and,  if  ever  she  brought  any  thing  into  the 
parlour,  always  scolded  her  till  she  was  out  of  sight. 
She  made  her  work  with  the  servants  in  washing 
the  dishes,  and  rubbing  the  tables  and  chairs ;  it 
was  her  place  to  clean  madam's  chamber,  and  that 
of  the  misses  her  daughters,  which  was  all  inlaid, 
had  beds  of  the  newest  fashion,  and  looking-glasses 
so  long  and  broad,  that  they  saw  themselves  from 
head  to  loot  in  them ;  while  the  little  creature  her- 
self was  forced  to  sleep  up  in  a  sorry  garret,  upon 
a  wretched  straw  bed,  without  curtains,  or  any  thing 
to  make  her  comfortable.  The  poor  child  bore  this 
with  the  greatest  patience,  not  daring  to  complain 
to  her  father,  who,  she  feared,  would  only  reprove 
her,  for  she  saw  that  his  wife  governed  him  entirely. 
When  she  had  done  all  her  work  she  used  to  sit  in 
the  chimney-corner  among  the  cinders ;  so  that  in 
the  house  she  went  by  the  name  of  Cinderbreech. 
The  youngest  of  the  two  sisters,  however,  being 
rather  more  civil  than  the  eldest,  called  her  Cinder- 
ella. And  Cinderella,  dirty  and  ragged  as  she  was, 
as  often  jiappens  in  such  cases,  was  a  thousand  times 
prettier  than  her  sisters,  drest  out  in  all  their  splen- 
dour. It  happened  that  the  king's  son  gave  a  ball, 
to  which  he  invited  all  the  persons  of  fashion  in  the 
country.  Our  two  misses  were  of  the  number,  for 
the  king's  son  did  not  know  how  disagreeable  they 
were,  but  supposed,  as  they  were  so  much  indulged, 
that  they  were  extremely  amiable.  He  did  not  in- 
vite Cinderella,  for  he  had  never  seen  or  heard  of 
her. 


214     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

The  two  sisters  began  immediately  to  be  very  busy 
in  preparing  for  the  happy  day.  Nothing  could  ex- 
ceed their  joy.  Every  moment  of  their  time  was 
spent  in  fancying  such  gowns,  shoes,  and  head- 
dresses as  would  set  them  off  to  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage. All  this  was  new  vexation  to  poor  Cinder- 
ella, for  it  was  she  who  ironed  and  plaited  her  sisters' 
linen.  They  talked  of  nothing  but  how  they  should 
be  dressed :  "  I,"  said  the  eldest,  ''  will  wear  my  scar- 
let velvet  with  French  trimming."  '*  And  I,"  said 
the  youngest,  ''  shall  wear  the  same  petticoat  I  had 
made  for  the  last  ball.  But  then,  to  make  amends 
for  that,  I  shall  put  on  my  gold  muslin  train,  and 
Avear  my  diamonds  in  my  hair ;  with  these  I  must 
certainly  look  well."  They  sent  several  miles  for  the 
best  hair  dresser  that  was  to  be  had,  and  all  their 
ornaments  were  bought  at  the  most  fashionable 
shops.  On  the  morning  of  the  ball,  they  called  up 
Cinderella  to  consult  with  her  about  their  dress,  for 
they  knew  she  had  a  great  deal  of  taste.  Cinderella 
gave  them  the  best  advice  she  could,  and  even 
offered  to  assist  in  adjusting  their  head-dresses; 
which  was  exactly  what  they  wanted,  and  they  ac- 
cordingly accepted  her  proposal.  While  Cinderella 
was  busily  engaged  in  dressing  her  sisters,  they  said 
to  her,  *'  Should  you  not  like,  Cinderella,  to  go  to 
the  ball  ?  "  ''  Ah  !  "  replied  Cinderella,  "  you  are  only 
laughing  at  me,  it  is  not  for  such  as  I  am  to  think  of 
going  to  balls."  ''  You  are  in  the  right,"  said  they, 
*'  folks  might  laugh  indeed,  to  see  a  Cinderbreech 
dancing  in  a  ball  room."  Any  other  than  Cinderella 
would  have  tried  to  make  the  haughty  creatures  look 
as  ugly  as  she  could;  but  the  sweet  tempered  girl. 


Cinderella;  or,  The  Little  Glass  Slipper     215 

on  the  contrary,  did  every  thing  she  could  think  of  to 
make  them  look  well.  The  sisters  had  scarcely  eaten 
any  thing  for  two  days,  so  great  was  their  joy  as 
the  happy  day  drew  near.  More  than  a  dozen  laces 
were  broken  in  endeavouring  to  give  them  a  fine 
slender  shape,  and  they  were  always  before  the 
looking  glass.  At  length  the  much  wished  for  mo- 
ment arrived ;  the  proud  misses  stepped  into  a  beauti- 
ful carriage,  and,  followed  by  servants  in  rich  liv- 
eries, drove  towards  the  palace.  Cinderella  followed 
them  with  her  eyes  as  far  as  she  could ;  and  when 
they  were  out  of  sight,  she  sat  down  in  a  corner  and 
began  to  cry.    Her  godmother,  who  saw  her  in  tears, 

asked  her  what  ailed  her.    '*  I  wish 1  w-i-s-h — " 

sobbed  poor  Cinderella,  without  being  able  to  say 
another  word.  The  godmother,  who  was  a  fairy, 
said  to  her,  "  You  wish  to  go  to  the  ball,  Cinderella, 
is  not  this  the  truth  ?  "  "  Alas !  yes,"  replied  the 
poor  child,  sobbing  still  more  than  before.  "  Well, 
well,  be  a  good  girl,"  said  the  godmother,  "  and  you 
shall  go."  She  then  led  Cinderella  to  her  bedcham- 
ber, and  said  to  her :  "Run  into  the  garden  and  bring 
me  a  pumpkin."  Cinderella  flew  like  lightning,  and 
brought  the  finest  she  could  lay  hold  of.  Her  god- 
mother scooped  out  the  inside,  leaving  nothing  but 
the  rind  ;  she  then  struck  it  with  her  wand,  and  the 
pumpkin  instantly  became  a  fine  coach  gilded  all 
over  with  gold.  She  then  looked  into  her  mouse- 
trap, where  she  found  six  mice  all  alive  and  brisk. 
She  told  Cinderella  to  lift  up  the  door  of  the  trap 
very  gently ;  and  as  the  mice  passed  out,  she  touched 
them  one  by  one  with  her  wand,  and  each  immedi- 
ately became  a  beautiful  horse  of  a  fine  dapple  gray 


2i6     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

mouse  colour.  "  Here,  my  child,"  said  the  god- 
mother, "  is  a  coach  and  horses  too,  as  handsome  as 
your  sisters',  but  what  shall  we  do  for  a  postillion  ?  " 
"  I  will  run,"  replied  Cinderella,  "  and  see  if  there 
be  not  a  rat  in  the  trap.  If  I  find  one,  he  will  do  very 
well  for  a  postillion."  "  Well  thought  of,  my  child," 
said  her  godmother ;  "  make  what  haste  you  can." 

Cinderella  brought  the  rat  trap,  which,  to  her 
great  joy,  contained  three  of  the  largest  rats  ever 
seen.  The  fairy  chose  the  one  which  had  the  longest 
beard ;  and  touching  him  with  her  wand,  he  was  in- 
stantly turned  into  a  handsome  postillion,  with  the 
finest  pair  of  whiskers  imaginable.  She  next  said 
to  Cinderella :  "  Go  again  into  the  garden,  and  you 
will  find  six  lizards  behind  the  watering-pot;  bring 
them  hither."  This  was  no  sooner  done,  than  with 
a  stroke  from  the  fairy's  wand  they  were  changed 
into  six  footmen,  who  all  jumped  up  behind  the 
coach  in  their  laced  liveries,  and  stood  side  by  side  as 
cleverly  as  if  they  had  been  used  to  nothing  else  the 
whole  of  their  lives.  The  fairy  then  said  to  Cin- 
derella :  "  Well,  my  dear,  is  not  this  such  an  equip- 
age as  you  could  wish  for  to  take  you  to  the  ball? 
Are  you  not  delighted  with  it?"  '' Y-e-s,"  replied 
Cinderella  with  hesitation,  "  but  must  I  go  thither 
in  these  filthy  rags  ?  "  Her  godmother  touched  her 
with  the  wand,  and  her  rags  instantly  became  the 
most  magnificent  apparel,  ornamented  with  the  most 
costly  jewels  in  the  whole  world.  To  these  she 
added  a  beautiful  pair  of  glass  sHppers,  and  bade 
her  set  out  for  the  palace.  The  fairy,  however,  be- 
fore she  took  leave  of  Cinderella,  strictly  charged 
her  on  no  account  whatever  to  stay  at  the  ball  after 


Cinderella;  or.  The  Little  Glass  Slipper     217 

the  clock  had  struck  twelve,  telling  her  that,  should 
she  stay  but  a  single  moment  after  that  time,  her 
coach  would  again  become  a  pumpkin,  her  horses 
mice,  her  footmen  lizards,  and  her  fine  clothes  be 
changed  to  filthy  rags.  Cinderella  did  not  fail  to 
promise  all  her  godmother  desired  of  her;  and  al- 
most wild  with  joy  drove  away  to  the  palace.  As 
soon  as  she  arrived,  the  king's  son,  who  had  been 
informed  that  a  great  princess,  whom  nobody  knew, 
was  come  to  the  ball,  presented  himself  at  the  door 
of  her  carriage,  helped  her  out,  and  conducted  her  to 
the  ball  room.  Cinderella  no  sooner  appeared  than 
every  one  was  silent ;  both  the  dancing  and  the  music 
stopped,  and  every  body  was  employed  in  gazing  at 
the  uncommon  beauty  of  this  unknown  stranger. 
Nothing  was  heard  but  whispers  of  "  How  handsome 
she  is !  "  The  king  himself,  old  as  he  was,  could  not 
keep  his  eyes  from  her,  and  continually  repeated  to 
the  queen,  that  it  was  a  long  time  since  he  had  seen 
so  lovely  a  creature.  The  ladies  endeavoured  to  find 
out  how  her  clothes  were  made,  that  they  might  get 
some  of  the  same  pattern  for  themselves  by  the  next 
day,  should  they  be  lucky  enough  to  meet  with  such 
handsome  materials,  and  such  good  work-people  to 
make  them. 

The  king's  son  conducted  her  to  the  most  honour- 
able seat,  and  soon  after  took  her  out  to  dance  with 
him.  She  both  moved  and  danced  so  gracefully,  that 
every  one  admired  her  still  more  than  before,  and 
she  was  thought  the  most  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished lady  they  ever  beheld.  After  some  time  a 
delicious  collation  was  served  up ;  but  the  young 
prince  was  so  busily  employed  in  looking  at  her, 


2i8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

that  he  did  not  eat  a  morsel.  Cinderella  seated  her- 
self near  her  sisters,  paid  them  a  thousand  attentions, 
and  offered  them  a  part  of  the  oranges  and  sweet- 
meats with  which  the  prince  had  presented  her,  while 
they  on  their  part  were  quite  astonished  at  these 
civilities  from  a  lady  whom  they  did  not  know.  As 
they  were  conversing  together,  Cinderella  heard  the 
clock  strike  eleven  and  three  quarters.  She  rose 
from  her  seat,  curtesied  to  the  company,  and  hast- 
ened away  as  fast  as  she  could.  As  soon  as  she  got 
home  she  flew  to  her  godmother,  and,  after  thank- 
ing her  a  thousand  times,  told  her  she  would  give 
the  world  to  be  able  to  go  again  to  the  ball  the  next 
day,  for  the  king's  son  had  entreated  her  to  be  there. 
While  she  was  telling  her  godmother  every  thing 
that  had  happened  to  her  at  the  ball,  the  two  sisters 
knocked  a  loud  rat-tat-tat  at  the  door ;  which  Cinder- 
ella opened.  "  How  late  you  have  stayed !  "  said  she, 
yawning,  rubbing  her  eyes,  and  stretching  herself, 
as  if  just  awakened  out  of  her  sleep,  though  she 
had  in  truth  felt  no  desire  for  sleep  since  they  left 
her.  ''  If  you  had  been  at  the  ball,"  said  one  of  her 
sisters,  ''  let  me  tell  you,  you  would  not  have  been 
sleepy.  There  came  thither  the  handsomest,  yes, 
the  very  handsomest  princess  ever  beheld !  She  paid 
us  a  thousand  attentions,  and  made  us  take  a  part 
of  the  oranges  and  sweetmeats  the  prince  had  given 
her.  Cinderella  could  scarcely  contain  herself  for 
joy :  she  asked  her  sisters  the  name  of  this  princess, 
to  which  they  replied,  that  nobody  had  been  able 
to  discover  who  she  was ;  that  the  king's  son  was 
extremely  grieved  on  that  account,  and  had  offered 
a  large  reward  to  any  person  who  could  find  out 


Cinderella;  or,  The  Little  Glass  Slipper     219 

where  she  came  from.  Cinderella  smiled,  and  said : 
"  How  very  beautiful  she  must  be!  How  fortunate 
you  are !  Ah,  could  I  but  see  her  for  a  single  mo- 
ment! Dear  Miss  Charlotte,  lend  me  only  the  yel- 
low gown  you  wear  every  day,  and  let  me  go  to  see 
her."  *'  Oh !  yes,  I  warrant  you ;  lend  my  clothes  to 
a  Cinderbreech !  Do  you  really  suppose  me  such  a 
fool?  No,  no;  pray.  Miss  Forward,  mind  your 
proper  business,  and  leave  dress  and  balls  to  your 
betters."  Cinderella  expected  some  such  answer, 
and  was  by  no  means  sorry,  for  she  would  have  been 
sadly  at  a  loss  what  to  do  if  her  sister  had  lent  her 
the  clothes  that  she  asked  of  her. 

The  next  day  the  two  sisters  again  appeared  at 
the  ball,  and  so  did  Cinderella,  but  dressed  much 
more  magnificently  than  the  night  before.  The 
king's  son  was  continually  by  her  side,  and  said  the 
most  obliging  things  imaginable  to  her.  The  charm- 
ing young  creature  was  far  from  being  tired  of  all 
the  agreeable  things  she  met  with.  On  the  con- 
trary, she  was  so  delighted  with  them  that  she  en- 
tirely forgot  the  charge  her  godmother  had  given 
her.  Cinderella  at  last  heard  the  striking  of  a 
clock,  and  counted  one,  two,  three,  on  till  she  came 
to  twelve,  though  she  thought  that  it  could  be  but 
eleven  at  most.  She  got  up  and  flew  as  nimbly  as 
a  deer  out  of  the  ball-room.  The  prince  tried  to 
overtake  her ;  but  poor  Cinderella's  fright  made  her 
run  the  faster.  However,  in  her  great  hurry,  she 
dropped  one  of  her  glass  slippers  from  her  foot, 
which  the  prince  stooped  down  and  picked  up,  and 
took  the  greatest  care  of  it  possible.  Cinderella  got 
home  tired  and  out  of  breath,  in  her  old  clothes, 


2  20     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

without  either  coach  or  footmen,  and  having  nothing 
left  of  her  magnificence  but  the  fellow  of  the  glass 
slipper  which  she  had  dropped.  In  the  mean  while, 
the  prince  had  inquired  of  all  his  guards  at  the  pal- 
ace gates,  if  they  had  not  seen  a  magnificent  princess 
pass  out,  and  which  way  she  went  ?  The  guards  re- 
plied, that  no  princess  had  passed  the  gates ;  and 
that  they  had  not  seen  a  creature  but  a  little  ragged 
girl,  who  looked  more  like  a  beggar  than  a  princess. 
When  the  two  sisters  returned  from  the  ball,  Cin- 
derella asked  them  if  they  had  been  as  much  amused 
as  the  night  before,  and  if  the  beautiful  princess  had 
been  there  ?  They  told  her  that  she  had ;  but  that 
as  soon  as  the  clock  struck  twelve,  she  hurried  away 
from  the  ball  room,  and  in  the  great  haste  she  had 
made,  had  dropped  one  of  her  glass  slippers,  which, 
was  the  prettiest  shape  that  could  be ;  that  the  king's 
son  had  picked  it  up,  and  had  done  nothing  but  look 
at  it  all  the  rest  of  the  evening ;  and  that  every  body 
believed  he  w^as  violently  in  love  with  the  handsome 
lady  to  whom  it  belonged. 

This  was  very  true;  for  a  few  days  after,  the 
prince  had  it  proclaimed,  by  sound  of  trumpet,  that 
he  would  marry  the  lady  whose  foot  should  exactly 
fit  the  slipper  he  had  found.  Accordingly  the 
prince's  messengers  took  the  slipper,  and  carried  it 
first  to  all  the  princesses,  then  to  the  duchesses,  in 
short,  to  all  the  ladies  of  the  court.  But  without 
success.  They  then  brought  it  to  the  two  sisters, 
who  each  tried  all  she  could  to  squeeze  her  foot  into 
the  slipper,  but  saw  at  last  that  this  was  quite  im- 
possible. Cinderella  who  was  looking  at  them  all 
the  while,  and  knew  her  slipper,  could  not  help  smil- 


Cinderella;  or,  The  Little  Glass  Slipper     221 

ing,  and  ventured  to  say,  "  Pray,  sir,  let  me  try  to 
get  on  the  slipper."  The  gentleman  made  her  sit 
down  ;  and  putting  the  slipper  to  her  foot,  it  instantly 
slipped  in,  and  he  saw  that  it  fitted  her  like  wax. 
The  two  sisters  were  amazed  to  see  that  the  slipper 
fitted  Cinderella;  but  how  much  greater  was  their 
astonishment  when  she  drew  out  of  her  pocket  the 
other  slipper  and  put  it  on  !  Just  at  this  moment  the 
fairy  entered  the  room,  and  touching  Cinderella's 
clothes  with  her  wand,  made  her  all  at  once  appear 
more  magnificently  dressed  than  they  had  ever  seen 
her  before. 

The  two  sisters  immediately  perceived  that  she 
was  the  beautiful  princess  they  had  seen  at  the  ball. 
They  threw  themselves  at  her  feet,  and  asked  her 
forgiveness  for  the  ill  treatment  she  had  received 
from  them.  Cinderella  helped  them  to  rise,  and,  ten- 
derly embracing  them,  said  that  she  forgave  them 
with  all  her  heart,  and  begged  them  to  bestow  on 
her  their  affection.  Cinderella  was  then  conducted, 
dressed  as  she  was,  to  the  young  prince,  who  find- 
ing her  more  beautiful  than  ever,  instantly  desired 
her  to  accept  of  his  hand.  The  marriage  ceremony 
took  place  in  a  few  days ;  and  Cinderella,  who  was 
as  amiable  as  she  was  handsome,  gave  her  sisters 
magnificent  apartments  in  the  palace,  and  a  short 
time  after  married  them  to  two  great  lords  of  the 
court. 


CHAPTER    XV 


PUSS  IN   BOOTS 


There  was  a  miller  who  had  three  sons,  and  when 
he  died  he  divided  what  he  possessed  among  them 
in  the  following  manner:  He  gave  his  mill  to  the 
eldest,  his  ass  to  the  second,  and  his  cat  to  the 
youngest.  Each  of  the  brothers  accordingly  took 
what  belonged  to  him,  without  the  help  of  an  at- 
torney, who  would  soon  have  brought  their  little 
fortune  to  nothing,  in  law  expenses.  The  poor 
young  fellow  who  had  nothing  but  the  cat,  com- 
plained that  he  was  hardly  used :  "  My  brothers," 
said  he,  "  by  joining  their  stocks  together,  may  do 
well  in  the  world,  but  for  me,  when  I  have  eaten 
my  cat,  and  made  a  fur  cap  of  his  skin,  I  may  soon 
die  of  hunger !  "  The  cat,  who  all  this  time  sat 
listening  just  inside  the  door  of  a  cupboard,  now 
ventured  to  come  out  and  addressed  him  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Do  not  thus  afflict  yourself,  my  good  mas- 
ter. You  have  only  to  give  me  a  bag,  and  get  a  pair 
of  boots  made  for  me,  so  that  I  may  scamper 
through  the  dirt  and  the  brambles,  and  you  shall 
see  that  you  are  not  so  ill  provided  for  as  you 
imagine."  Though  the  cat's  master  did  not  much 
depend  upon  these  promises,  yet,  as  he  had  often 
observed  the  cunning  tricks  puss  used  to  catch  the 


Puss  in  Boots  223 

rats  and  mice,  such  as  hanging  upon  his  hind  legs, 
and  hiding  in  the  meal  to  make  believe  that  he  was 
dead,  he  did  not  entirely  despair  of  his  being  of 
some  use  to  him  in  his  unhappy  condition. 

When  the  cat  had  obtained  what  he  asked  for,  he 
gayly  began  to  equip  himself:  he  drew  on  his  boots ; 
and  putting  the  bag  about  his  neck,  he  took  hold 
of  the  strings  with  his  fore  paws,  and  bidding  his 
master  take  courage,  immediately  sallied  forth.  The 
first  attempt  Puss  made  was  to  go  into  a  warren 
in  which  there  were  a  great  number  of  rabbits.  He 
put  some  bran  and  some  parsley  into  his  bag;  and 
then  stretching  himself  out  at  full  length  as  if  he 
was  dead,  he  waited  for  some  young  rabbits,  who 
as  yet  knew  nothing  of  the  cunning  tricks  of  the 
world,  to  come  and  get  into  the  bag,  the  better  to 
feast  upon  the  dainties  he  had  put  into  it.  Scarcely 
had  he  lain  down  before  he  succeeded  as  well  as 
could  be  wished.  A  giddy  young  rabbit  crept  into 
the  bag,  and  the  cat  immediately  drew  the  strings, 
and  killed  him  without  mercy.  Puss,  proud  of  his 
prey,  hastened  directly  to  the  palace,  where  he  asked 
to  speak  to  the  king.  On  being  shown  into  the 
apartment  of  his  majesty,  he  made  a  low  bow,  and 
said,  "  I  have  brought  you,  sire,  this  rabbit  from 
the  warren  of  my  lord  the  marquis  of  Carabas,  who 
commanded  me  to  present  it  to  your  majesty  with 
the  assurance  of  his  respect."  (This  was  the  title 
the  cat  thought  proper  to  bestow  upon  his  mas- 
ter.) "Tell  my  lord  marquis  of  Carabas,"  replied 
the  king,  "  that  I  accept  of  his  present  with  pleas- 
ure, and  that  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  him."  Soon 
after,  the  cat  laid  himself  down  in  the  same  manner 


2  24     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

in  a  field  of  corn,  and  had  as  much  good  fortune  as 
before;  for  two  fine  partridges  got  into  his  bag, 
which  he  immediately  killed  and  carried  to  the  pal- 
ace :  the  king  received  them  as  he  had  done  the  rab- 
bit, and  ordered  his  servants  to  give  the  messenger 
something  to  drink.  In  this  manner  he  continued 
to  carry  presents  of  game  to  the  king  from  my  lord 
marquis  of  Carabas,  once  at  least  in  every  week. 

One  day,  the  cat  having  heard  that  the  king  in- 
tended to  take  a  ride  that  morning  by  the  river's  side 
with  his  daughter,  who  was  the  most  beautiful  prin- 
cess in  the  world,  he  said  to  his  master :  "  If  you 
will  but  follow  my  advice,  your  fortune  is  made. 
Take  off  your  clothes,  and  bathe  yourself  in  the 
river,  just  in  the  place  I  shall  show  you,  and  leave 
the  rest  to  me."  The  marquis  of  Carabas  did  ex- 
actly as  he  was  desired,  without  being  able  to  guess 
at  what  the  cat  intended.  While  he  was  bathing  the 
king  passed  by,  and  puss  directly  called  out  as  loud 
as  he  could  bawl :  "  Help !  help !  My  lord  marquis 
of  Carabas  is  in  danger  of  being  drowned !  "  The 
king  hearing  the  cries,  put  his  head  out  at  the  win- 
dow of  his  carriage  to  see  what  was  the  matter : 
when,  perceiving  the  very  cat  who  had  brought  him 
so  many  presents,  he  ordered  his  attendants  to  go 
directly  to  the  assistance  of  my  lord  marquis  of 
Carabas.  \Miile  they  were  employed  in  taking  the 
marquis  out  of  the  river,  the  cat  ran  to  the  king's 
carriage,  and  told  his  majesty,  that  while  his  master 
was  bathing,  some  thieves  had  run  off  with  his 
clothes  as  they  lay  by  the  river's  side;  the  cunning 
cat  all  the  time  having  hid  them  under  a  large 
stone.     The  king  hearing  this,  commanded  the  offi- 


Puss  in  Boots  225 

cers  of  his  wardrobe  to  fetch  one  of  the  handsomest 
suits  it  contained,  and  present  it  to  my  lord  marquis 
of  Carabas,  at  the  same  time  loading  him  with  a 
thousand  attentions.  As  the  fine  clothes  they 
brought  him  made  him  look  like  a  gentleman,  and 
set  off  his  person,  which  was  very  comely,  to  the 
greatest  advantage,  the  king's  daughter  was  mightily 
taken  with  his  appearance,  and  the  marquis  of 
Carabas  had  no  sooner  cast  upon  her  two  or  three 
respectful  glances,  then  she  became  violently  in  love 
with  him. 

The  king  insisted  on  his  getting  into  the  carriage 
and  taking  a  ride  with  them.  The  cat,  enchanted 
to  see  how  well  his  scheme  was  likely  to  succeed, 
ran  before  to  a  meadow  that  was  reaping,  and  said 
to  the  reapers :  "  Good  people,  if  you  do  not  tell  the 
king,  who  will  soon  pass  this  way,  that  the  meadow 
you  are  reaping  belongs  to  my  lord  marquis  of 
Carabas,  you  shall  be  chopped  as  small  as  mince 
meat."  The  king  did  not  fail  to  ask  the  reapers  to 
whom  the  meadow  belonged ?  ''To  my  lord  mar- 
quis of  Carabas,"  said  they  all  at  once;  for  the 
threats  of  the  cat  had  terribly  frighted  them.  "  You 
have  here  a  very  fine  piece  of  land,  my  lord 
marquis,"  said  the  king.  "  Truly,  sire,"  replied  he, 
"  it  does  not  fail  to  bring  me  every  year  a  plentiful 
harvest."  The  cat  who  still  went  on  before,  now 
came  to  a  field  where  some  other  labourers  were 
making  sheaves  of  the  corn  they  had  reaped,  to 
whom  he  said  as  before :  ''  Good  people,  if  you  do 
not  tell  the  king  who  will  presently  pass  this  way, 
that  the  corn  you  have  reaped  in  this  field  belongs 
to  my  lord  marquis  of  Carabas,  you  shall  be  chopped 


2  26     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

as  small  as  mince  meat."  The  king  accordingly 
passed  a  moment  after,  and  inquired  to  whom  the 
corn  he  saw  belonged  ?  ''  To  my  lord  maquis  of 
Carabas,"  answered  they  very  glibly;  upon  which 
the  king  again  complimented  the  marquis  upon  his 
noble  possessions.  The  cat  still  continued  to  go  be- 
fore, and  gave  the  same  charge  to  all  the  people  he 
met  with ;  so  that  the  king  was  greatly  astonished 
at  the  splendid  fortune  of  my  lord  marquis  of  Car- 
abas.  Puss  at  length  arrived  at  a  stately  castle, 
which  belonged  to  an  Ogre,  the  richest  ever  known ; 
for  all  the  lands  the  king  had  passed  through  and  ad- 
mired were  his.  The  cat  took  care  to  learn  every 
particular  about  the  Ogre,  and  what  he  could  do, 
and  then  asked  to  speak  with  him,  saying,  as  he 
entered  the  room  in  which  he  was,  that  he  could  not 
pass  so  near  his  castle  without  doing  himself  the 
honour  to  inquire  after  his  health.  The  Ogre  re- 
ceived him  as  civilly  as  an  Ogre  could  do,  and  de- 
sired him  to  be  seated.  "  I  have  been  informed," 
said  the  cat,  *'  that  you  have  the  gift  of  changing 
yourself  to  all  sorts  of  animals ;  into  a  lion  or  an 
elephant  for  example."  "  It  is  very  true,"  replied  the 
Ogre  somewhat  sternly ;  "  and  to  convince  you  I 
will  directly  take  the  form  of  a  lion."  The  cat  was 
so  much  terrified  at  finding  himself  so  near  to  a  lion, 
that  he  sprang  from  him,  and  climbed  to  the  roof  of 
the  house ;  but  not  without  much  difficulty,  as  his 
boots  were  not  very  fit  to  walk  upon  the  tiles. 

Some  minutes  after,  the  cat  perceiving  that  the 
Ogre  had  quitted  the  form  of  a  lion,  ventured  to 
come  down  from  the  tiles,  and  owned  that  he  had 
been  a  good  deal  frightened.    ''  I  have  been  further 


Puss  in  Boots  227 

informed," continued  the  cat, "but  I  know  not  how  to 
beHeve  it,  that  you  have  the  power  of  taking  the  form 
of  the  smallest  animals  also ;  for  example  of  chang- 
ing yourself  to  a  rat  or  a  mouse :  I  confess  I  should 
think  this  impossible."  "  Impossible !  you  shall 
see ;  "  and  at  the  same  instant  he  changed  himself 
into  a  mouse,  and  began  to  frisk  about  the  room. 
The  cat  no  sooner  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  Ogre  in- 
this  form,  than  he  sprang  upon  him  and  devoured 
him  in  an  instant.  In  the  meantime  the  king,  ad- 
miring as  he  came  near  it,  the  magnificent  castle  of 
the  Ogre,  ordered  his  attendants  to  drive  up  to  the 
gates,  as  he  wished  to  take  a  nearer  view  of  it.  The 
cat,  hearing  the  noise  of  the  carriage  on  the  draw- 
bridge, immediately  came  out,  saying :  "  Your 
majesty  is  welcome  to  the  castle  of  my  lord  marquis 
of  Carabas."  "  And  is  this  splendid  castle  yours 
also,  my  lord  marquis  of  Carabas?  I  never  saw 
anything  more  stately  than  the  building,  or  more 
beautiful  than  the  park  and  pleasure  grounds 
around  it ;  no  doubt  the  castle  is  no  less  magnificent 
within  than  without :  pray,  my  lord  marquis,  indulge 
me  with  a  sight  of  it." 

The  marquis  gave  his  hand  to  the  young  princess 
as  she  alighted,  and  followed  the  king  who  went  be- 
fore ;  they  entered  a  spacious  hall,  where  they  found 
a  splendid  collation  which  the  Ogre  had  prepared  for 
some  friends  he  had  that  day  expected  to  visit  him ; 
but  who,  hearing  that  the  king  with  the  princess 
and  a  great  gentleman  of  the  court  were  within,  had 
not  dared  to  enter.  The  king  was  so  much  charmed 
with  the  amiable  qualities  and  noble  fortune  of  the 
marquis  of  Carabas,  and  the  young  princess  too  had 


228     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Knozu 

fallen  so  violently  in  love  with  him,  that  when  the 
king  had  partaken  of  the  collation,  and  drunk  a  few 
glasses  of  wine,  he  said  to  the  marquis :  "  It  will  be 
you  own  fault,  my  lord  marquis  of  Carabas,  if  you 
do  not  soon  become  my  son-in-law."  The  marquis 
received  the  intelligence  with  a  thousand  respectful 
acknowledgments,  accepted  the  honour  conferred 
upon  him,  and  married  the  princess  that  very  day. 
The  cat  became  a  great  lord,  and  never  after  ran 
after  rats  and  mice  but  for  his  amusement. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    SLEEPING    BEAUTY    IN    THE    WOOD 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  king  and  a  queen 
who  grieved  sorely  that  they  had  no  children.  When 
at  last  the  queen  gave  birth  to  a  daughter  the  king 
was  so  overjoyed  that  he  gave  a  great  christening 
feast,  the  like  of  which  had  never  before  been 
known.  He  asked  all  the  fairies  in  the  land — there 
were  seven  all  told — to  stand  godmothers  to  the 
little  princess,  hoping  that  each  might  give  her  a  gift, 
and  so  she  should  have  all  imaginable  perfections. 

After  the  christening,  all  the  company  returned  to 
the  palace,  where  a  great  feast  had  been  spread  for 
the  fairy  godmothers.  Before  each  was  set  a  mag- 
nificent plate,  with  a  gold  knife  and  a  gold  fork 
studded  with  diamonds  and  rubies.  Just  as  they 
were  seating  themselves,  however,  there  entered  an 
old  fairy  who  had  not  been  invited  because  more 
than  fifty  years  ago  she  had  shut  herself  up  in  a 
tower  and  it  was  supposed  that  she  was  either  dead 
or  enchanted. 

The  king  ordered  a. cover  to  be  laid  for  her,  but 
it  could  not  be  a  massive  gold  one  like  the  others, 
for  only  seven  had  been  ordered  made.  The  old 
fairy  thought  herself  ill-used  and  muttered  between 
her  teeth.     One  of  the  young  fairies,  overhearing 


230     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

her,  and  fancying  she  might  work  some  mischief  to 
the  Httle  baby,  went  and  hid  herself  behind  the  hang- 
ings in  the  hall,  so  as  to  be  able  to  have  the  last 
word  and  undo  any  harm  the  old  fairy  might  wish  to 
work.  The  fairies  now  began  to  endow  the  princess. 
The  youngest,  for  her  gift,  decreed  that  she  should 
be  the  most  beautiful  person  in  the  world ;  the  next 
that  she  should  have  the  mind  of  an  angel ;  the  third 
that  she  should  be  perfectly  graceful ;  the  fourth 
that  she  should  dance  admirably  well ;  the  fifth,  that 
she  should  sing  like  a  nightingale;  the  sixth,  that 
she  should  play  charmingly  upon  every  musical  in- 
strument. The  turn  of  the  old  fairy  had  now  come, 
and  she  declared,  while  her  head  shook  with  malice, 
that  the  princess  should  pierce  her  hand  with  a  spin- 
dle and  die  of  the  wound.  This  dreadful  fate  threw 
all  the  company  into  tears  of  dismay,  when  the 
young  fairy  who  had  hidden  herself  came  forward 
and  said: 

''  Be  of  good  cheer,  king  and  queen ;  your  daugh- 
ter shall  not  so  die.  It  is  true  I  cannot  entirely  undo 
what  my  elder  has  done.  The  princess  will  pierce 
her  hand  with  a  spindle,  but,  instead  of  dying,  she 
will  only  fall  into  a  deep  sleep.  The  sleep  will  last 
a  hundred  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  a  king's 
son  will  come  to  wake  her." 

The  king,  in  hopes  of  preventing  what  the  old 
fairy  had  foretold,  immediately  issued  an  edict  by 
which  he  forbade  all  persons  in  his  dominion  from 
spinning  or  even  having  spindles  in  their  houses 
under  pain  of  instant  death. 

Now  fifteen  years  after  the  princess  was  born  she 
was  with  the  king  and  queen  at  one  of  their  castles. 


The  Sleeping  Beauty  in  the  Wood         231 

and  as  she  was  running  about  by  herself  she  came 
to  a  little  chamber  at  the  top  of  a  tower,  and  there 
sat  an  honest  old  woman  spinning,  for  she  had  never 
heard  of  the  king's  edict. 

"  What  are  you  doing?  "  asked  the  princess. 

"  I  am  spinning,  my  fair  child,"  said  the  old 
woman,  who  did  not  know  her. 

"  How  pretty  it  is !  "  exclaimed  the  princess. 
"  How  do  you  do  it  ?  Give  it  to  me  that  I  may  see 
if  I  can  do  it."  She  had  no  sooner  taken  up  the 
spindle,  than,  being  hasty  and  careless,  she  pierced 
her  hand  with  the  point  of  it,  and  fainted  away.  The 
old  woman,  in  great  alarm,  called  for  help.  People 
came  running  in  from  all  sides ;  they  threw  water 
in  the  princess's  face  and  did  all  they  could  to  re- 
store iier,  but  nothing  would  bring  her  to.  The 
king,  who  had  heard  the  noise  and  confusion,  came 
up  also,  and  remembering  what  the  fairy  had  said, 
he  had  the  princess  carried  to  the  finest  apartment 
and  laid  upon  a  richly  embroidered  bed.  She  lay 
there  in  all  her  loveliness,  for  the  swoon  had  not 
made  her  pale ;  her  lips  were  cherry-ripe  and  her 
cheeks  ruddy  and  fair;  her  eyes  were  closed,  but 
they  could  hear  her  breathing  quietly ;  she  could  not 
be  dead.  The  king  looked  sorrowfully  upon  her. 
He  knew  that  she  would  not  awake  for  a  hundred 
years. 

The  good  fairy  who  had  saved  her  life  and  turned 
her  death  into  sleep  was  in  the  kingdom  of  Mata- 
quin,  twelve  thousand  leagues  away,  when  this  hap- 
pened, but  she  learned  of  it  from  a  dwarf  who  had 
a  pair  of  seven-league  boots,  and  instantly  set  out 
for  the  castle,  where  she  arrived  in  an  hour,  drawn 


232     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

by  dragons  in  a  fiery  chariot.  The  king  came  for- 
ward to  receive  her  and  showed  his  grief.  The  good 
fairy  was  very  wise  and  saw  that  the  princess  when 
she  woke  would  find  herself  all  alone  in  that  great 
castle  and  everything  about  her  would  be  strange.  So 
this  is  what  she  did.  She  touched  with  her  wand 
everybody  that  was  in  the  castle,  except  the  king 
and  queen.  She  touched  the  governesses,  maids  of 
honour,  women  of  the  bed-chamber,  gentlemen,  offi- 
cers, stewards,  cooks,  scullions,  boys,  guards,  por- 
ters, pages,  footmen;  she  touched  the  horses  in  the 
stable  with  their  grooms,  the  great  mastiffs  in  the 
court-yard,  and  even  little  Pouste,  the  tiny  lap-dog 
of  the  princess  that  was  on  the  bed  beside  her.  As 
soon  as  she  had  touched  them  they  all  fell  asleep, 
not  to  wake  again  until  the  time  arrived  for  their 
mistress  to  do  so,  when  they  would  be  ready  to  wait 
upon  her.  Even  the  spits  before  the  fire,  laden  with 
partridges  and  pheasants,  went  to  sleep,  and  the 
fire  itself  went  to  sleep  also. 

It  was  the  work  of  a  moment.  The  king  and 
queen  kissed  their  daughter  farewell  and  left  the 
castle,  issuing  a  proclamation  that  no  person  what- 
soever was  to  approach  it.  That  was  needless,  for 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  there  had  grown  up  about  it 
a  wood  so  thick  and  filled  with  thorns  that  nothing 
could  get  at  the  castle,  and  the  castle  top  itself 
could  only  be  seen  from  a  great  distance. 

A  hundred  years  went  by,  and  the  kingdom  was 
in  the  hands  of  another  royal  family.  The  son  of 
the  king  was  hunting  one  day  when  he  discovered 
the  towers  of  the  castle  above  the  tops  of  the  trees, 
and  asked  what  castle  that  was.     All  manner  of 


The  Sleeping  Beauty  in  the  Wood         233 

answers  were  given  to  him.  One  said  it  was  an  en- 
chanted castle,  another  that  witches  Hved  there,  but 
most  beHeved  that  it  was  occupied  by  a  great  ogre 
which  carried  thither  all  the  children  he  could  catch 
and  ate  them  up  one  at  a  time,  for  nobody  could  get 
at  him  through  the  wood.  The  prince  did  not  know 
what  to  believe,  when  finally  an  old  peasant  said : 

*'  Prince,  it  is  more  than  fifty  years  since  I  heard 
my  father  say  that  there  was  in  that  castle  the  most 
beautiful  princess  that  ever  was  seen;  that  she  was 
to  sleep  for  a  hundred  years,  and  to  be  awakened  at 
last  by  the  king's  son,  who  was  to  marry  her." 

The  young  prince  at  these  words  felt  himself  on 
fire.  He  had  not  a  moment's  doubt  that  he  was  des- 
tined to  this  great  adventure,  and  full  of  ardour  he 
determined  at  once  to  set  out  for  the  castle.  Scarcely 
had  he  come  to  the  wood  when  all  the  trees  and 
thorns  which  had  made  such  an  impenetrable  thicket 
opened  on  one  side  and  the  other  to  offer  him  a  path. 
He  walked  toward  the  castle,  which  appeared  now 
at  the  end  of  a  long  avenue,  but  when  he  turned  to 
look  for  his  followers  not  one  was  to  be  seen;  the 
woods  had  closed  instantly  upon  him  as  he  had 
passed  through.  He  was  entirely  alone,  and  utter 
silence  was  about  him.  He  entered  a  large  fore- 
court and  stood  still  with  amazement  and  awe.  On 
every  side  were  stretched  the  bodies  of  men  and  ani- 
mals apparently  lifeless.  But  the  faces  of  the  men 
were  rosy,  and  the  goblets  by  them  had  a  few  drops 
of  wine  left.  The  men  had  plainly  fallen  asleep. 
His  steps  resounded  as  he  passed  over  the  marble 
pavement  and  up  the  marble  staircase.  He  entered 
the  guard-room ;  there  the  guards  stood  drawn  up  in 


2  34     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

line  with  carbines  at  their  shoulders,  but  they  were 
sound  asleep.  He  passed  through  one  apartment 
after  another,  where  were  ladies  and  gentlemen 
asleep  in  their  chairs  or  standing.  He  entered  a 
chamber  covered  with  gold,  and  saw  on  a  bed,  the 
curtains  of  which  were  drawn,  the  most  lovely  sight 
he  had  ever  looked  upon — a  princess,  who  appeared 
to  be  about  fifteen  or  sixteen,  and  so  fair  that  she 
seemed  to  belong  to  another  world.  He  drew  near, 
trembling  and  wondering,  and  knelt  beside  her. 
Her  hand  lay  upon  her  breast,  and  he  touched  his 
lips  to  it.  At  that  moment,  the  enchantment  being 
ended,  the  princess  awoke,  and,  looking  drowsily 
and  tenderly  at  the  young  man,  said  : 

"  Have  you  come,  my  prince  ?  I  have  waited  long 
for  you."  The  prince  was  overjoyed  at  the  words, 
and  at  the  tender  voice  and  look,  and  scarcely  knew 
how  to  speak.  But  he  managed  to  assure  her  of  his 
love,  and  they  soon  forgot  all  else  as  they  talked  and 
talked.  They  talked  for  four  hours,  and  had  not 
then  said  half  that  was  in  their  heads  to  say. 

Meanwhile  all  the  rest  of  the  people  in  the  castle 
had  been  wakened  at  the  same  moment  as  the  prin- 
cess, and  they  were  now  extremely  hungry.  The 
lady-in-waiting  became  very  impatient,  and  at 
length  announced  to  the  princess  that  they  all  waited 
for  her.  Then  the  prince  took  the  princess  by  the 
hand ;  she  was  dressed  in  great  splendour,  but  he 
did  not  hint  that  she  looked  as  he  had  seen  pictures 
of  his  great-grandmother  look ;  he  thought  her  all 
the  more  charming  for  that.  They  passed  into  a 
hall  of  mirrors,  where  they  supped,  attended  by  the 
officers  of  the  princess.     The  violins  and  haut-boys 


The  Sleeping  Beauty  in  the  Wood         235 

played  old  but  excellent  pieces  of  music,  and  after 
supper,  to  lose  no  time,  the  grand  almoner  married 
the  royal  lovers  in  the  chapel  of  the  castle. 

When  they  left  the  castle  the  next  day  to  return  to 
the  prince's  home,  they  were  followed  by  all  the 
retinue  of  the  princess.  They  marched  down  the 
long  avenue,  and  the  wood  opened  again  to  let  them 
pass.  Outside  they  met  the  prince's  followers,  who 
were  overjoyed  to  see  their  master.  He  turned  to 
show  them  the  castle,  but  behold !  there  was  no  cas- 
tle to  be  seen,  and  no  wood ;  castle  and  wood  had 
vanished,  but  the  prince  and  princess  went  gayly 
away,  and  when  the  old  king  and  queen  died  they 
reigned  in  their  stead. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

JACK    AND    THE    BEAN-STALK 

In  the  days  of  King  Alfred,  there  lived  a  poor 
woman  whose  cottage  was  situated  in  a  remote 
country  village,  a  great  many  miles  from  London. 
She  had  been  a  widow  some  years,  and  had  an  only 
child  named  Jack,  whom  she  indulged  to  a  fault. 
The  consequence  of  her  blind  partiality  was,  that 
Jack  did  not  pay  the  least  attention  to  any  thing  she 
said,  but  was  indolent,  careless,  and  extravagant. 
His  follies  were  not  owing  to  a  bad  disposition,  but 
that  his  mother  had  never  checked  him.  By  degrees 
she  disposed  of  all  she  possessed — scarcely  any 
thing  remained  but  a  cow.  The  poor  woman  one 
day  met  Jack  with  tears  in  her  eyes ;  her  distress 
was  great,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  she 
could  not  help  reproaching  him,  saying,  "  Oh !  you 
wicked  child,  by  your  ungrateful  course  of  life  you 
have  at  last  brought  me  to  beggary  and  ruin. 
Cruel,  cruel  boy!  I  have  not  money  enough  to 
purchase  even  a  bit  of  bread  for  another  day — 
nothing  now  remains  to  sell  but  my  poor  cow!  I 
am  sorry  to  part  with  her;  it  grieves  me  sadly, 
but  we  must  not  starve."  For  a  few  minutes,  Jack 
felt  a  degree  of  remorse,  but  it  was  soon  over,  and 
he  began  teasing  his  mother  to  let  him  sell  the  cow 
at  the  next  village,  so  much,  that  she  at  last  con- 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  237 

sented.  As  he  was  going  along,  he  met  a  butcher, 
who  inquired  why  he  was  driving  the  cow  from 
home?  Jack  repHed,  he  was  going  to  sell  it.  The 
butcher  held  some  curious  beans  in  his  hat;  they 
were  of  various  colours,  and  attracted  Jack's  atten- 
tion. This  did  not  pass  unnoticed  by  the  butcher, 
who,  knowing  Jack's  easy  temper,  thought  now  was 
the  time  to  take  an  advantage  of  it ;  and  determined 
not  to  let  slip  so  good  an  opportunity,  asked  what 
was  the  price  of  the  cow,  offering  at  the  same  time 
all  the  beans  in  his  hat  for  her.  The  silly  boy  could 
not  conceal  the  pleasure  he  felt  at  what  he  supposed 
so  great  an  offer,  the  bargain  was  struck  instantly, 
and  the  cow  exchanged  for  a  few  paltry  beans. 
Jack  made  the  best  of  his  way  home,  calling  aloud 
to  his  mother  before  he  reached  home,  thinking  to 
surprise  her. 

When  she  saw  the  beans,  and  heard  Jack's  ac- 
count, her  patience  quite  forsook  her.  She  kicked 
the  beans  away  in  a  passion — they  flew  in  all  direc- 
tions— some  were  scattered  in  the  garden.  Not 
having  any  thing  to  eat,  they  both  went  supper- 
less  to  bed.  Jack  woke  early  in  the  morning,  and 
seeing  something  uncommon  from  the  window  of 
his  bed-chamber,  ran  down  stairs  into  the  garden, 
where  he  soon  discovered  that  some  of  the  beans 
had  taken  root,  and  sprung  up  surprisingly :  the 
stalks  were  of  an  immense  thickness,  and  had  so 
entwined,  that  they  formed  a  ladder  nearly  like  a 
chain  in  appearance.  Looking  upward,  he  could  not 
discern  the  top,  it  appeared  to  be  lost  in  the  clouds : 
he  tried  it,  found  it  firm,  and  not  to  be  shaken.  He 
quickly  formed  the  resolution  of  endeavouring  to 


238     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

climb  up  to  the  top,  in  order  to  seek  his  fortune,  and 
ran  to  communicate  his  intention  to  his  mother,  not 
doubting  but  she  would  be  equally  pleased  with 
himself.  She  declared  he  should  not  g-o ;  said  it 
would  break  her  heart  if  he  did — entreated,  and 
threatened — but  all  in  vain.  Jack  set  out,  and  after 
climbing  for  some  hours,  reached  the  top  of  the 
bean-stalk,  fatigued  and  quite  exhausted.  Looking 
around,  he  found  himself  in  a  strange  country;  it 
appeared  to  be  a  desert,  quite  barren,  not  a  tree, 
shrub,  house,  or  living  creature  to  be  seen ;  here  and 
there  were  scattered  fragments  of  stone;  and  at 
unequal  distances,  small  heaps  of  earth  were  loosely 
thrown  together. 

Jack  seated  himself  pensively  upon  a  block  of 
stone,  and  thought  of  his  mother — he  reflected  with 
sorrow  upon  his  disobedience  in  climbing  the  bean- 
stalk against  her  will ;  and  concluded  that  he  must 
die  with  hunger.  However  he  walked  on,  hoping 
to  see  a  house  where  he  might  beg  something  to  eat 
and  drink;  presently  a  handsome  young  woman  ap- 
peared at  a  distance :  as  she  approached,  Jack  could 
not  help  admiring  how  beautiful  and  lively  she 
looked ;  she  was  dressed  in  the  most  elegant  manner, 
and  had  a  small  white  wand  in  her  hand,  on  the  top 
of  which  was  a  peacock  of  pure  gold.  While  Jack 
was  looking  with  great  surprise  at  this  charming 
female,  she  came  up  to  him,  and  with  a  smile  of  the 
most  bewitching  sweetness,  inquired  how  he  came 
there.  Jack  related  the  circumstance  of  the  bean- 
stalk. She  asked  him  if  he  recollected  his  father;  he 
replied  he  did  not;  and  added,  there  must  be  some 
mystery  relating  to  him,  because  if  he  asked  his 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  239 

mother  who  his  father  was,  she  always  burst  Into 
tears,  and  appeared  violently  agitated,  nor  did  she  re- 
cover herself  for  some  days  after;  one  thing,  how- 
ever, he  could  not  avoid  observing  upon  these  occa- 
sions, which  was  that  she  always  carefully  avoided 
answering  him,  and  even  seemed  afraid  of  speaking, 
as  if  there  was  some  secret  connected  with  his 
father's  history  which  she  must  not  disclose.  The 
young  woman  replied,  ''  I  will  reveal  the  whole 
story ;  your  mother  must  not.  But,  before  I  begin, 
I  require  a  solemn  promise  on  your  part  to  do  what 
I  command ;  I  am  a  fairy,  and  if  you  do  not  per- 
form exactly  what  I  desire,  you  will  be  destroyed." 
Jack  was  frightened  at  her  menaces,  but  promised 
to  fulfil  her  injunctions  exactly,  and  the  fairy  thus 
addressed  him : 

''  Your  father  was  a  rich  man,  his  disposition  re- 
markably benevolent :  he  was  very  good  to  the  poor, 
and  constantly  relieving  them.  He  made  it  a  rule 
never  to  let  a  day  pass  without  doing  good  to  some 
person.  On  one  particular  day  in  the  week,  he  kept 
open  house,  and  invited  only  those  who  were  re- 
duced and  had  lived  well.  He  always  presided  him- 
self, and  did  all  in  his  power  to  render  his  guests 
comfortable ;  the  rich  and  the  great  were  not  in- 
vited. The  servants  were  all  happy,  and  greatly  at- 
tached to  their  master  and  mistress.  Your  father, 
though  only  a  private  gentleman,  was  as  rich  as  a 
prince,  and  he  deserved  all  he  possessed,  for  he 
only  lived  to  do  good.  Such  a  man  was  soon  known 
and  talked  of.  A  giant  lived  a  great  many  miles 
ofif:  this  man  was  altogether  as  wicked  as  your 
father  was  good ;  he  was  in  his  heart  envious,  cove- 


240     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

tous,  and  cruel;  but  he  had  the  art  of  concealing 
those  vices.  He  was  poor,  and  wished  to  enrich 
himself  at  any  rate.  Hearing  your  father  spoken  of, 
he  formed  the  design  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
him,  hoping  to  ingratiate  himself  into  your  father's 
favour.  He  removed  quickly  into  your  neighbour- 
hood, caused  to  be  reported  that  he  was  a  gentle- 
man who  had  just  lost  all  he  possessed  by  an  earth- 
quake, and  found  it  difficult  to  escape  with  his 
life ;  his  wife  was  with  him.  Your  father  gave 
credit  to  his  story,  and  pitied  him,  gave  him  hand- 
some apartments  in  his  own  house,  and  caused  him 
and  his  wife  to  be  treated  like  visitors  of  conse- 
quence, little  imagining  that  the  giant  was  meditat- 
ing a  horrid  return  for  all  his  favours. 

"  Things  went  on  in  this  way  for  some  time,  the 
giant  becoming  daily  more  impatient  to  put  his  plan 
into  execution ;  at  last  a  favourable  opportunity 
presented  itself.  Your  father's  house  was  at  some 
distance  from  the  seashore,  but  with  a  glass  the 
coast  could  be  seen  distinctly.  The  giant  was  one 
day  using  the  telescope ;  the  wind  was  very  high ; 
he  saw  a  fleet  of  ships  in  distress  off  the  rocks ;  he 
hastened  to  your  father,  mentioned  the  circum- 
stance, and  eagerly  requested  he  would  send  all  the 
servants  he  could  spare  to  relieve  the  sufferers. 
Every  one  was  instantly  despatched,  except  the 
porter  and  your  nurse ;  the  giant  then  joined  your 
father  in  the  study,  and  appeared  to  be  delighted — 
he  really  was  so.  Your  father  recommended  a 
favourite  book,  and  was  handing  it  down :  the  giant 
took  the  opportunity,  and  stabbed  him;  he  instantly 
fell  down  dead.    The  giant  left  the  body,  found  the 


Jack  and  the  B can-Stalk  241 

porter  and  nurse,  and  presently  despatched  them; 
being  determined  to  have  no  Hving  witnesses  of  his 
crimes.  You  were  then  only  three  months  old ; 
your  mother  had  you  in  her  arms  in  a  remote  part  of 
the  house,  and  was  ignorant  of  what  was  going  on ; 
she  went  into  the  study,  but  how  was  she  shocked, 
on  discovering  your  father  a  corpse,  and  weltering 
in  his  blood !  she  was  stupefied  with  horror  and 
grief,  and  was  motionless.  The  giant,  who  was 
seeking  her,  found  her  in  that  state,  and  hastened 
to  serve  her  and  you  as  he  had  done  her  husband, 
but  she  fell  at  his  feet,  and  in  a  pathetic  manner  be- 
sought him  to  spare  your  life  and  hers. 

"  Remorse,  for  a  moment,  seemed  to  touch  the 
barbarian's  heart :  he  granted  your  lives ;  but  first 
he  made  her  take  a  most  solemn  oath,  never  to  in- 
form you  who  your  father  was,  or  to  answer  any 
questions  concerning  him :  assuring  her  that  if  she 
did,  he  would  certainly  discover  her,  and  put  both 
of  you  to  death  in  the  most  cruel  manner.  Your 
mother  took  you  in  her  arms,  and  fled  as  quickly  as 
possible ;  she  was  scarcely  gone  when  the  giant  re- 
pented that  he  had  suffered  her  to  escape.  He 
would  have  pursued  her  instantly;  but  he  had  to 
provide  for  his  own  safety ;  as  it  was  necessary  he 
should  be  gone  before  the  servants  returned.  Hav- 
ing gained  your  father's  confidence,  he  knew  where 
to  find  all  his  treasure :  he  soon  loaded  himself  and 
his  wife,  set  the  house  on  fire  in  several  places,  and 
when  the  servants  returned,  the  house  was  burned 
quite  down  to  the  ground.  Your  poor  mother,  for- 
lorn, abandoned,  and  forsaken,  wandered  with  you 
a  great  many  miles  from  this  scene  of  desolation. 


242     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Fear  added  to  her  haste.  She  settled  in  the  cottage 
where  you  were  brought  up,  and  it  was  entirely 
owing  to  her  fear  of  the  giant  that  she  never  men- 
tioned your  father  to  you.  I  became  your  father's 
guardian  at  his  birth ;  but  fairies  have  laws  to  which 
they  are  subject  as  well  as  mortals.  A  short  time 
before  the  giant  went  to  your  father's,  I  trans- 
gressed ;  my  punishment  was  a  suspension  of  power 
for  a  limited  time — an  unfortunate  circumstance,  as 
it  totally  prevented  my  succouring  your  father. 

''  The  day  on  which  you  met  the  butcher,  as  you 
went  to  sell  your  mother's  cow,  my  power  was 
restored.  It  was  I  who  secretly  prompted  you  to 
take  the  beans  in  exchange  for  the  cow.  By  my 
power,  the  bean-stalk  grew  to  so  great  a  height,  and 
formed  a  ladder.  I  need  not  add  that  I  inspired  you 
with  a  strong  desire  to  ascend  the  ladder.  The 
giant  lives  in  this  country:  you  are  the  person  ap- 
pointed to  punish  him  for  all  his  wickedness.  You 
will  have  dangers  and  difficulties  to  encounter,  but 
you  must  persevere  in  avenging  the  death  of  your 
father,  or  you  will  not  prosper  in  any  of  your  under- 
takings, but  will  always  be  miserable.  As  to  the 
giant's  possessions,  you  may  seize  on  all  you  can; 
for  every  thing  he  has  is  yours,  though  now  you 
are  unjustly  deprived  of  it.  One  thing  I  desire — 
do  not  let  your  mother  know  you  are  acquainted 
with  your  father's  history,  till  you  see  me  again. 
Go  along  the  direct  road,  you  will  soon  see  the 
house  where  your  cruel  enemy  lives.  While  you 
do  as  I  order  you,  I  will  protect  and  guard  you ; 
but,  remember,  if  you  dare  disobey  my  commands, 
a  most  dreadful  punishment  awaits  you." 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  243: 

When  the  fairy  had  concluded,  she  disappeared,, 
leaving  Jack  to  pursue  his  journey.  He  walked  oni 
till  after  sunset,  when,  to  his  great  joy,  he  espied  a 
large  mansion.  This  agreeable  sight  revived  his. 
drooping  spirits ;  he  redoubled  his  speed,  and  soon 
reached  it.  A  plain-looking  woman  was  at  the  door 
— he  accosted  her,  begging  she  would  give  him  a 
morsel  of  bread  and  a  night's  lodging.  She  ex- 
pressed the  greatest  surprise  at  seeing  him;  and 
said  it  was  quite  uncommon  to  see  a  human  being 
near  their  house,  for  it  was  well  known  that  her 
husband  was  a  large  and  very  powerful  giant,  and 
that  he  would  never  eat  any  thing  but  human  flesh, 
if  he  could  possibly  get  it;  that  he  did  not  think 
any  thing  of  walking  fifty  miles  to  procure  it, 
usually  being  out  the  whole  day  for  that  purpose. 

This  account  greatly  terrified  Jack,  but  still  he 
hoped  to  elude  the  giant,  and  therefore  he  again 
entreated  the  woman  to  take  him  in  for  one  night 
only,  and  hide  him  where  she  thought  proper.  The 
good  woman  at  last  suffered  herself  to  be  per- 
suaded, for  she  was  of  a  compassionate  and  gener- 
ous disposition,  and  took  him  into  the  house.  First, 
they  entered  a  fine  large  hall,  magnificently  fur- 
nished; they  then  passed  through  several  spacious 
rooms,  all  in  the  same  style  of  grandeur;  but  they 
appeared  to  be  quite  forsaken  and  desolate.  A  long 
gallery  was  next;  it  was  very  dark — just  light 
enough  to  show  that,  instead  of  a  wall  on  one  side, 
there  was  a  grating  of  iron,  which  parted  off  a 
dismal  dungeon,  from  whence  issued  the  groans  of 
those  poor  victims  whom  the  cruel  giant  reserved 
in  confinement  for  his  own  voracious  appetite.   Poor- 


244     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Jack  was  half  dead  with  fear,  and  would  have  given 
the  world  to  have  been  with  his  mother  again,  for 
he  now  began  to  fear  that  he  should  never  see  her 
more,  and  gave  himself  up  for  lost;  he  even  mis- 
trusted the  good  woman,  and  thought  she  had  let 
him  into  the  house  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
lock  him  up  among  the  unfortunate  people  in  the 
dungeon.  At  the  farther  end  of  the  gallery  there 
was  a  spacious  kitchen,  and  a  very  excellent  fire 
was  burning  in  the  grate.  The  good  woman  bid 
Jack  sit  down,  and  gave  him  plenty  to  eat  and 
drink.  Jack,  not  seeing  any  thing  here  to  make  him 
uncomfortable,  soon  forgot  his  fear,  and  was  just 
beginning  to  enjoy  himself,  when  he  was  aroused  by 
a  loud  knocking  at  the  street-door,  which  made  the 
whole  house  shake :  the  giant's  wife  ran  to  secure 
him  in  the  oven,  and  then  went  to  let  her  husband 
in.  Jack  heard  him  accost  her  in  a  voice  like 
thunder,  saying:  "Wife,  I  smell  fresh  meat." 
"  Oh !  my  dear,"  replied  she,  "  it  is  nothing  but  the 
people  in  the  dungeon."  The  giant  appeared  to  be- 
lieve her,  and  walked  into  the  very  kitchen  where 
poor  Jack  was  concealed,  who  shook,  trembled,  and 
was  more  terrified  than  he  had  yet  been.  At  last, 
the  monster  seated  himself  quietly  by  the  fireside, 
whilst  his  wife  prepared  supper.  By  degrees  Jack 
recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  look  at  the  giant 
through  a  small  crevice.  He  was  quite  astonished  to 
see  what  an  amazing  quantity  he  devoured,  and 
thought  he  never  would  have  done  eating  and  drink- 
ing. When  supper  was  ended,  the  giant  desired  his 
wife  to  bring  him  his  hen.  A  very  beautiful  hen 
was  then  brought,  and  placed  on  the  table  before 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  245 

him.  Jack's  curiosity  was  very  great  to  see  what 
would  happen:  he  observed  that  every  time  the 
giant  said  "  Lay !  "  the  hen  laid  an  egg  of  solid  gold. 
The  giant  amused  himself  a  long  time  with  his  hen ; 
meanwhile  his  wife  went  to  bed.  At  length  the 
giant  fell  asleep  by  the  fire-side,  and  snored  like  the 
roaring  of  a  cannon. 

At  daybreak,  Jack,  finding  the  giant  still  asleep, 
and  not  likely  to  awaken  soon,  crept  softly  out 
of  his  hiding-place,  seized  the  hen,  and  ran  off 
with  her.  He  met  with  some  difficulty  in  finding 
his  way  out  of  the  house,  but  at  last  he  reached 
the  road  with  safety.  He  easily  found  the  way 
to  the  bean-stalk,  and  descended  it  better  and 
quicker  than  he  expected.  His  mother  was  over- 
joyed to  see  him;  he  found  her  crying  bitterly,  and 
lamenting  his  hard  fate,  for  she  concluded  he  had 
come  to  some  shocking  end  through  his  rashness. 
Jack  was  impatient  to  show  his  hen,  and  inform  his 
mother  how  valuable  it  was,  *'  And  now,  mother," 
said  Jack,  ''  I  have  brought  home  that  which  will 
quickly  make  us  rich ;  and  I  hope  to  make  you  some 
amends  for  the  affliction  I  have  caused  you  through 
my  idleness,  extravagance,  and  folly."  The  hen  pro- 
duced as  many  golden  eggs  as  they  desired:  they 
sold  them,  and  in  a  little  time  became  possessed  of 
as  much  riches  as  they  wanted.  For  some  months 
Jack  and  his  mother  lived  very  happily  together; 
but  he  being  very  desirous  of  travelling,  recollecting 
the  fairy's  commands,  and  fearing  that  if  he  delayed, 
she  would  put  her  threats  into  execution,  longed  to 
climb  the  bean-stalk,  and  pay  the  giant  another  visit, 
in  order  to  carry  away  some  more  of  his  treasures ; 


246     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

for,  during  the  time  that  Jack  was  in  the  giant's 
mansion,  whilst  he  lay  concealed  in  the  oven,  he 
learned  from  the  conversation  that  took  place  be- 
tween the  giant  and  his  wife,  that  he  possessed  some 
wonderful  curiosities.  Jack  thought  of  his  jour- 
ney again  and  again,  but  still  he  could  not  summon 
resolution  enough  to  break  it  to  his  mother,  being 
well  assured  that  she  would  endeavour  to  prevent 
his  going.  However,  one  day  he  told  her  boldly 
that  he  must  take  a  journey  up  the  bean-stalk;  she 
begged  and  prayed  him  not  to  think  of  it,  and  tried 
all  in  her  power  to  dissuade  him :  she  told  him  that 
the  giant's  wife  would  certainly  know^  him  again, 
and  that  the  giant  would  desire  nothing  better  than 
to  get  him  into  his  power,  that  he  might  put  him  to 
a  cruel  death,  in  order  to  be  revenged  for  the  loss 
of  his  hen.  Jack,  finding  that  all  his  arguments 
were  useless,  pretended  to  give  up  the  point,  though 
resolved  to  go  at  all  events.  He  had  a  dress  pre- 
pared which  would  disguise  him,  and  something  to 
colour  his  skin.  He  thought  it  impossible  for  any 
one  to  recollect  him  in  this  dress. 

In  a  few  mornings  after  this,  he  arose  very  early, 
changed  his  complexion,  and,  unperceived  by  any 
one,  climbed  the  bean-stalk  a  second  time.  He  was 
greatly  fatigued  when  he  reached  the  top,  and  very 
hungry.  Having  rested  some  time  on  one  of  the 
stones,  he  pursued  his  journey  to  the  giant's  man- 
sion. He  reached  it  late  in  the  evening :  the  woman 
was  at  the  door  as  before.  Jack  addressed  her,  at 
the  same  time  telling  her  a  pitiful  tale,  and  request- 
ing that  she  would  give  him  some  victuals  and 
drink,  and  also  a  night's  lodging. 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  247 

She  told  him  (what  he  knew  before  very  well) 
about  her  husband  being  a  powerful  and  cruel  giant ; 
and  also  that  she  one  night  admitted  a  poor,  hungry, 
friendless  boy,  who  was  half  dead  with  travelling; 
that  the  little  ungrateful  fellow  had  stolen  one  of 
the  giant's  treasures;  and,  ever  since  that,  her  hus- 
band had  been  worse  than  before,  used  her  very 
cruelly,  and  continually  upbraided  her  with  being 
the  cause  of  his  misfortune.  Jack  was  at  no  loss  to 
discover  that  he  was  attending  to  the  account  of  a 
story  in  which  he  was  the  principal  actor.  He  did 
his  best  to  persuade  the  good  woman  to  admit  him^ 
but  found  it  a  very  hard  task.  At  last  she  con- 
sented ;  and  as  she  led  the  way.  Jack  observed  that 
every  thing  was  just  as  he  had  found  it  before. 
She  took  him  into  the  kitchen,  and  after  he  had  done 
eating  and  drinking,  she  hid  him  in  an  old  lumber- 
closet.  The  giant  returned  at  the  usual  time,  and 
walked  in  so  heavily,  that  the  house  was  shaken  to 
its  foundation.  He  seated  himself  by  the  fire,  and 
soon  after  exclaimed :  "  Wife !  I  smell  fresh  meat !  '^ 
The  wife  replied,  it  was  the  crows,  who  had  brought 
a  piece  of  raw  meat,  and  left  it  on  the  top  of  the 
house.  Whilst  supper  was  preparing,  the  giant  was 
very  ill-tempered  and  impatient,  frequently  lifting 
up  his  hand  to  strike  his  wife,  for  not  being  quick 
enough ;  she,  however,  was  always  so  fortunate  as 
to  elude  the  blow.  He  was  also  continually  up- 
braiding her  with  the  loss  of  his  wonderful  hen. 
The  giant  at  last  having  ended  his  voracious  supper, 
and  eaten  till  he  was  quite  satisfied,  said  to  his  wife : 
"  I  must  have  something  to  amuse  me ;  either  my 
bags  of  money  or  my  harp."    After  a  great  deal  of 


248     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

ill-humour,  and  having  teased  his  wife  some  time, 
he  commanded  her  to  bring  down  his  bags  of  gold 
and  silver.  Jack,  as  before,  peeped  out  of  his  hid- 
ing-place, and  presently  his  wife  brought  two  bags 
into  the  room :  they  were  of  a  very  large  size ;  one 
was  filled  with  new  guineas,  and  the  other  with  new 
shillings.  They  were  both  placed  before  the  giant, 
who  began  reprimanding  his  poor  wife  most  se- 
verely for  staying  so  long;  she  replied,  trembling 
with  fear,  that  they  were  so  heavy,  that  she  could 
scarcely  lift  them ;  and  concluded,  at  last,  that  she 
would  never  again  bring  them  down  stairs ;  adding, 
that  she  had  nearly  fainted,  owing  to  their  weight. 
This  so  exasperated  the  giant,  that  he  raised  his 
hand  to  strike  her ;  she,  however,  escaped,  and  went 
to  bed,  leaving  him  to  count  over  his  treasure,  by 
way  of  amusement.  The  giant  took  his  bags,  and 
after  turning  them  over  and  over,  to  see  that  they 
were  in  the  same  state  as  he  left  them,  began  to 
count  their  contents.  First,  the  bag  which  con- 
tained the  silver  was  emptied,  and  the  contents 
placed  upon  the  table.  Jack  viewed  the  glittering 
heaps  with  delight,  ^nd  most  heartily  wished  them 
in  his  own  possession.  The  giant  (little  thinking 
he  was  so  narrowly  watched)  reckoned  the  silver 
over  several  times ;  and  then,  having  satisfied  him- 
self that  all  was  safe,  put  it  into  the  bag  again, 
which  he  made  very  secure.  The  other  bag  was 
opened  next,  and  the  guineas  placed  upon  the  table. 
If  Jack  was  pleased  at  the  sight  of  the  silver,  how 
much  more  delighted  he  felt  wlien  he  saw  such  a 
heap  of  glittering  gold !  He  even  had  the  boldness 
to  think  of  gaining  both  bags;  but  suddenly  recol- 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  249 

Iccting  himself,  he  began  to  fear  that  the  giant 
would  sham  sleep,  the  better  to  entrap  any  one  who 
might  be  concealed.  When  the  giant  had  counted 
over  the  gold  till  he  was  tired,  he  put  it  up,  if  pos- 
sible, more  secure  than  he  had  put  up  the  silver  be- 
fore ;  he  then  fell  back  on  his  chair  by  the  fireside, 
and  fell  asleep.  He  snored  so  loud,  that  Jack  com- 
pared his  noise  to  the  roaring  of  the  sea  in  a  high 
wind,  when  the  tide  is  coming  in.  At  last.  Jack  con- 
cluded him  to  be  asleep,  and  therefore  secure,  stole 
out  of  his  hiding-place,  and  approached  the  giant, 
in  order  to  carry  off  the  two  bags  of  money;  but 
just  as  he  laid  his  hand  upon  one  of  the  bags,  a 
little  dog,  whom  he  had  not  perceived  before,  started 
from  under  the  giant's  chair,  and  barked  at  Jack 
most  furiously,  who  now  gave  himself  up  for  lost. 
Fear  riveted  him  to  the  spot.  Instead  of  endeav- 
ouring to  escape,  he  stood  still,  though  expecting 
his  enemy  to  awake  every  instant.  Contrary,  how- 
ever, to  his  expectation,  the  giant  continued  in  a 
sound  sleep,  and  the  dog  grew  weary  of  barking. 
Jack  now  began  to  recollect  himself,  and  on  looking 
round,  saw  a  large  piece  of  meat ;  this  he  threw  to 
the  dog,  who  instantly  seized  it,  and  took  it  into  the 
lumber-closet,  which  Jack  had  just  left.  Finding 
himself  delivered  from  a  noisy  and  troublesome 
enemy,  and  seeing  the  giant  did  not  awake.  Jack 
boldly  seized  the  bags,  and  throwing  them  over  his 
shoulders,  ran  out  of  the  kitchen.  He  reached  the 
street  door  in  safety,  and  found  it  quite  daylight. 
In  his  way  to  the  top  of  the  bean-stalk,  he  found 
himself  greatly  incommoded  with  the  weight  of  the 
money-bags ;  and  really  thev  were  so  heavy  that  he 


250     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

could  scarcely  carry  them.  Jack  was  overjoyed 
when  he  found  himself  near  the  bean-stalk ;  he  soon 
reached  the  bottom,  and  immediately  ran  to  seek  his 
mother;  to  his  great  surprise,  the  cottage  was  de- 
serted; he  ran  from  one  room  to  another,  without 
being  able  to  find  any  one;  he  then  hastened  into 
the  village,  hoping  to  see  some  of  the  neighbours, 
who  could  inform  him  where  he  could  find  his 
mother.  An  old  woman  at  last  directed  him  to  a 
neighbouring  house,  where  she  was  ill  of  a  fever. 
He  was  greatly  shocked  on  finding  her  apparently 
dying,  and  could  scarcely  bear  his  own  reflections, 
on  knowing  himself  to  be  the  cause.  On  being  in- 
formed of  our  hero's  safe  return,  his  mother,  by 
■degrees,  revived,  and  gradually  recovered.  Jack 
presented  her  with  his  two  valuable  bags.  They 
lived  happily  and  comfortably ;  the  cottage  was  re- 
.built,  and  well  furnished. 

For  three  years  Jack  heard  no  more  of  the  bean- 
stalk, but  he  could  not  forget  it ;  though  he  feared 
making  his  mother  unhappy.  She  would  not  men- 
tion the  hated  bean-stalk,  lest  it  should  remind  him 
of  taking  another  journey.  Notwithstanding  the 
comforts  Jack  enjoyed  at  home,  his  mind  dwelt  con- 
tinually upon  the  bean-stalk ;  for  the  fairy's  menaces, 
in  case  of  his  disobedience,  were  ever  present  to  his 
mind,  and  prevented  him  from  being  happy ;  he 
could  think  of  nothing  else.  It  was  in  vain  endeav- 
ouring to  amuse  himself ;  he  became  thoughtful,  and 
would  arise  at  the  first  dawn  of  day,  and  view  the 
bean-stalk  for  hours  together.  His  mother  saw 
that  something  preyed  heavily  upon  his  mind,  and 
endeavoured  to  discover  the  cause;  but  Jack  knew 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  251 

too  well  what  the  consequence  would  be,  should  she 
succeed.  He  did  his  utmost,  therefore,  to  conquer 
the  great  desire  he  had  for  another  journey  up  the 
bean-stalk.  Finding,  however,  that  his  inclination 
grew  too  powerful  for  him,  he  began  to  make  secret 
preparations  for  his  journey,  and  on  the  longest 
day,  arose  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  ascended  the  bean- 
stalk, and  reached  the  top  with  some  little  trouble. 
He  found  the  road,  journey,  etc.,  much  as  it  was  on 
the  two  former  times ;  he  arrived  at  the  giant's  man- 
sion in  the  evening,  and  found  his  wife  standing,  as 
usual,  at  the  door.  Jack  had  disguised  himself  so 
completely,  that  she  did.  not  appear  to  have  the 
least  recollection  of  him ;  however,  when  he  pleaded 
hunger  and  poverty,  in  order  to  gain  admittance,  he 
found  it  very  difficult  to  persuade  her.  At  last  he 
prevailed,  and  was  concealed  in  the  copper.  When 
the  giant  returned,  he  said,  "  I  smell  fresh  meat !  " 
But  Jack  felt  quite  composed,  as  he  had  said  so 
before,  and  had  been  soon  satisfied.  However,  the 
giant  started  up  suddenly,  and,  notwithstanding  all 
his  wife  could  say,  he  searched  all  round  the  room. 
Whilst  this  was  going  forward,  Jack  was  exceed- 
ingly terrified,  and  ready  to  die  with  fear,  wishing 
himself  at  home  a  thousand  times ;  but  when  the 
giant  approached  the  copper,  and  put  his  hand  upon 
the  lid.  Jack  thought  his  death  was  certain.  The 
giant  ended  his  search  there,  without  moving  the 
lid,  and  seated  himself  quietly  by  the  fireside.  This 
fright  nearly  overcame  poor  Jack ;  he  was  afraid  of 
moving  or  even  breathing,  lest  he  should  be  dis- 
covered. The  giant  at  last  ate  a  hearty  supper. 
When  he  had  finished,  he  commanded  his  wife  to 


252     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

fetch  down  his  harp.  Jack  peeped  under  the  cop- 
per-hd,  and  soon  saw  the  most  beautiful  harp  that 
could  be  imagined:  it  was  placed  by  the  giant  on 
the  table,  who  said,  "  Play !  "  and  it  instantly  played 
of  its  own  accord,  without  being  touched.  The 
music  was  uncommonly  fine.  Jack  was  delighted, 
and  felt  more  anxious  to  get  the  harp  into  his  pos- 
session, than  either  of  the  former  treasures.  The 
giant's  soul  was  not  attuned  to  harmony,  and  the 
music  son  lulled  him  into  a  sound  sleep.  Now, 
therefore,  was  the  time  to  carry  off  the  harp,  as  the 
giant  appeared  to  be  in  a  more  profound  sleep  than 
usual.  Jack  soon  determined,  got  out  of  the  cop- 
per, and  seized  the  harp.  The  harp  was  enchanted 
by  a  fairy :  it  called  out  loudly :  "  Master !  master !  " 
The  giant  awoke,  stood  up,  and  tried  to  pursue 
Jack;  but  he  had  drank  so  much,  that  he  could 
hardly  stand.  Poor  Jack  ran  as  fast  as  he  could. 
In  a  little  time  the  giant  recovered  sufficiently  to 
walk  slowly,  or  rather,  to  reel  after  him.  Had  he 
been  sober,  he  must  have  overtaken  Jack  instantly; 
but,  as  he  then  was.  Jack  contrived  to  be  first  at  the 
top  of  the  bean-stalk.  The  giant  called  after  him 
in  a  voice  like  thunder,  and  sometimes  was  very 
near  him.  The  moment  Jack  got  down  the  bean- 
stalk he  called  out  for  a  hatchet;  one  was  brought 
him  directly;  just  at  that  instant,  the  giant  was  be- 
ginning to  descend ;  but  Jack,  with  his  hatchet,  cut 
the  bean-stalk  close  off  at  the  root,  which  made  the 
giant  fall  headlong  into  the  garden:  the  fall  killed 
him,  thereby  releasing  the  world  from  a  barbarous 
enemy.  Jack's  mother  was  delighted  when  she  saw 
the  bean-stalk  destroved.    At  this  instant  the  fairy 


Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk  253 

appeared :  she  first  addressed  Jack's  mother  and  ex- 
plained every  circumstance  relating  to  the  journeys 
up  the  bean-stalk.  The  fairy  charged  Jack  to  be 
dutiful  to  his  mother,  and  to  follow  his  father's  good 
example,  which  was  the  only  way  to  be  happy.  She 
then  disappeared.  Jack  heartily  begged  his  mother's 
pardon  for  all  the  sorrow  and  affliction  he  had 
caused  her,  promising  most  faithfully  to  be  very 
dutiful  and  obedient  to  her  for  the  future. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

JACK  THE   GIANT   KILLER 

In  the  reign  of  the  famous  King  Arthur,  there 
Hved  near  the  Land's  End  of  England,  in  the  county 
of  Cornwall,  a  worthy  farmer,  who  had  an  only 
son  named  Jack.  Jack  was  a  boy  of  a  bold  temper ; 
he  took  pleasure  in  hearing  or  reading  stories  of 
wizards,  conjurers,  giants,  and  fairies,  and  used  to 
listen  eagerly  while  his  father  talked  of  the  great 
deeds  of  the  brave  knights  of  King  Arthur's  Round 
Table.  When  Jack  was  sent  to  take  care  of  the 
sheep  and  oxen  in  the  fields,  he  used  to  amuse  him- 
self with  planning  battles,  sieges,  and  the  means  to 
conquer  or  surprise  a  foe.  He  was  above  the  com- 
mon sports  of  children ;  but  hardly  any  one  could 
equal  him  at  wrestling;  or,  if  he  met  with  a  match 
for  himself  in  strength,  his  skill  and  address  always 
made  him  the  victor.  In  those  days  there  lived  on 
St.  Michael's  Mount  of  Cornwall,  which  rises  out 
of  the  sea  at  some  distance  from  the  main  land,  a 
huge  giant.  He  was  eighteen  feet  high,  and  three 
yards  round ;  and  his  fierce  and  savage  looks  were 
the  terror  of  all  his  neighbours.  He  dwelt  in  a 
gloomy  cavern  on  the  very  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
used  to  wade  over  to  the  main  land  in  search  of  his 
prey.     When  he  came  near,  the  people  left   their 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  255 

houses;  and  after  he  had  glutted  his  appetite  upon 
their  cattle,  he  would  throw  half-a-dozen  oxen  upon 
his  back,  and  tie  three  times  as  many  sheep  and  hogs 
round  his  waist,  and  so  march  back  to  his  own  abode. 
The  giant  had  done  this  for  many  years,  and  the 
coast  of  Cornwall  was  greatly  hurt  by  his  thefts, 
when  Jack  boldly  resolved  to  destroy  him.  He  there- 
fore took  a  horn,  a  shovel,  pickaxe,  and  a  dark  lan- 
tern, and  early  in  a  long  winter's  evening  he  swam 
to  the  mount.  There  he  fell  to  work  at  once,  and 
before  morning  he  had  dug  a  pit  twenty-two  feet 
deep,  and  almost  as  many  broad.  He  covered  it 
over  with  sticks  and  straw,  and  strewed  some  of  the 
earth  over  them,  to  make  it  look  just  like  solid 
ground.  He  then  put  his  horn  to  his  mouth,  and 
blew  such  a  loud  and  long  tantivy,  that  the  giant 
awoke  and  came  towards  Jack,  roaring  like  thunder : 
''  You  saucy  villain,  you  shall  pay  dearly  for  break- 
ing my  rest ;  I  will  broil  you  for  my  breakfast."  He 
had  scarcely  spoken  these  words,  when  he  came  ad- 
vancing one  step  farther ;  but  then  he  tumbled  head- 
long into  the  pit,  and  his  fall  shook  the  very  moun- 
tain. ''  O  ho,  Mr.  Giant !  "  said  Jack,  looking  into 
the  pit,  ''  have  you  found  your  way  so  soon  to  the 
bottom  ?  How  is  your  appetite  now  ?  Will  nothing 
serve  you  for  breakfast  this  cold  morning  but  broil- 
ing poor  Jack  ?  "  The  giant  now  tried  to  rise,  but 
Jack  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  crown  of  the  head 
with  his  pickaxe,  which  killed  him  at  once.  Jack 
then  made  haste  back  to  rejoice  his  friends  with  the 
news  of  the  giant's  death.  When  the  justices  of 
Cornwall  heard  of  this  valiant  action,  they  sent  for 
Jack,  and  declared  that  he  should  always  be  called 


256     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knoiv 

Jack  the  Giant  Killer;  and  they  also  gave  him  a 
sword  and  belt,  upon  which  was  written  in  letters  of 
gold : 

"  This  is  the  valiant  Cornishman 
Who  slew  the  Giant  Cormoran." 

The  news  of  Jack's  exploits  soon  spread  over  the 
western  parts  of  England ;  and  another  giant,  called 
Old  Blunderbore,  vowed  to  have  revenge  on  Jack, 
if  it  should  ever  be  his  fortune  to  get  him  into  his 
power.  This  giant  kept  an  enchanted  castle  in  the 
midst  of  a  lonely  wood.  About  four  months  after 
the  death  of  Cormoran,  as  Jack  was  taking  a  journey 
into  Wales,  he  passed  through  this  wood ;  and  as  he 
was  very  weary,  he  sat  down  to  rest  by  the  side  of 
a  pleasant  fountain,  and  there  he  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep.  The  giant  came  to  the  fountain  for  water 
just  at  this  time,  and  found  Jack  there;  and  as  the 
lines  on  Jack's  belt  showed  who  he  was,  the  giant 
lifted  him  up  and  laid  him  gently  upon  his  shoulder 
to  carry  him  to  his  castle :  but  as  he  passed  through 
the  thicket,  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  waked  Jack; 
and  he  was  sadly  afraid  when  he  found  himself  in 
the  clutches  of  Blunderbore.  Yet  this  was  nothing 
to  his  fright  soon  after ;  for  when  they  reached  the 
castle,  he  beheld  the  floor  covered  all  over  with  the 
skulls  and  bones  of  men  and  women.  The  giant 
took  him  into  a  large  room  where  lay  the  hearts  and 
limbs  of  persons  who  had  been  lately  killed ;  and  he 
told  Jack,  with  a  horrid  grin,  that  men's  hearts, 
eaten  with  pepper  and  vinegar,  were  his  nicest  food ; 
and  also,  that  he  thought  he  should  make  a  dainty 
meal  on  his  heart.    When  he  had  said  this,  he  locked 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  257 

Jack  up  in  that  room,  while  he  went  to  fetch  an- 
other giant  who  Hved  in  the  same  wood,  to  enjoy 
a  dinner  off  Jack's  flesh  with  him.  While  he  was 
away.  Jack  heard  dreadful  shrieks,  groans,  and  cries, 
from  many  parts  of  the  castle ;  and  soon  after  he 
heard  a  mournful  voice  repeat  these  lines: 

"  Haste,  valiant  stranger,  haste  away, 
Lest  you  become  the  giant's  prey. 
On  his  return  he'll  bring  another. 
Still  more  savage  than  his  brother : 
A  horrid,  cruel  monster,  who, 
Before  he  kills,  will  torture  you. 
Oh  valiant  stranger,  haste  away, 
Or  you'll  become  these  giants'  prey." 

This  warning  was  so  shocking  to  poor  Jack,  that 
he  was  ready  to  go  mad.  He  ran  to  the  window, 
and  saw  the  two  giants  coming  along  arm  in  arm. 
This  window  was  right  over  the  gates  of  the  castle. 
"  Now,"  thought  Jack,  "  either  my  death  or  free- 
dom is  at  hand."  There  were  two  strong  cords  in 
the  room :  Jack  made  a  large  noose  with  a  slip-knot 
at  the  ends  of  both  these,  and  as  the  giants  were 
coming  through  the  gates,  he  threw  the  ropes  over 
their  heads.  He  then  made  the  other  ends  fast  to 
a  beam  in  the  ceiling,  and  pulled  with  all  his  might 
till  he  had  almost  strangled  them.  When  he  saw 
that  they  were  both  quite  black  in  the  face,  and  had 
not  the  least  strength  left,  he  drew  his  sword,  and 
slid  down  the  ropes ;  he  then  killed  the  giants,  and 
thus  saved  himself  from  the  cruel  death  they  meant 
to  put  him  to.    Jack  next  took  a  great  bunch  of  keys 


258     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

from  the  pocket  of  Blunderbore,  and  went  into  the 
castle  again.  He  made  a  strict  search  through  all 
the  rooms ;  and  in  them  found  three  ladies  tied  up 
by  the  hair  of  their  heads,  and  almost  starved  to 
death.  They  told  him  that  their  husbands  had  been 
killed  by  the  giants,  who  had  then  condemned  them 
to  be  starved  to  death,  because  they  would  not  eat 
the  flesh  of  their  own  dead  husbands.  **  Ladies," 
said  Jack,  "  I  have  put  an  end  to  the  monster  and 
his  wicked  brother ;  and  I  give  you  this  castle  and 
all  the  riches  it  contains,  to  make  you  some  amends 
for  the  dreadful  pains  you  have  felt."  He  then  very 
politely  gave  them  the  keys  of  the  castle,  and  went 
further  on  his  journey  to  Wales.  As  Jack  had  not 
taken  any  of  the  giant's  riches  for  himself,  and  so 
had  very  little  money  of  his  own,  he  thought  it  best 
to  travel  as  fast  as  he  could.  At  length  he  lost 
his  way,  and  when  night  came  on  he  was  in  a  lonely 
valley  between  two  lofty  mountains,  where  he 
walked  about  for  some  hours  without  seeing  any 
dwelling  place,  so  he  thought  himself  very  lucky  at 
last,  in  finding  a  large  and  handsome  house. 

He  went  up  to  it  boldly,  and  knocked  loudly  at 
the  gate,  when,  to  his  great  terror  and  surprise,  there 
came  forth  a  monstrous  giant  with  two  heads.  He 
spoke  to  Jack  very  civilly,  for  he  was  a  Welsh  giant, 
and  all  the  mischief  he  did  was  by  private  and  secret 
malice,  under  the  show  of  friendship  and  kindness. 
Jack  told  him  that  he  was  a  traveller  who  had  lost 
his  way,  on  which  the  huge  monster  made  him  wel- 
come, and  led  him  into  a  room,  where  there  was  a 
good  bed  to  pass  the  night  in.  Jack  took  off  bis 
clothes  quickly ;  but  though  he   was  so  weary  he 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  259 

could  not  go  to  sleep.  Soon  after  this  he  heard  the 
giant  walking  backward  and  forward  in  the  next 
room,  and  saying  to  himself : 

"  Though  here  you  lodge  with  me  this  night, 
You  shall  not  see  the  morning  light ; 
My  club  shall  dash  your  brains  out  quite." 

"  Say  you  so  ?  "  thought  Jack ;  *'  are  these  your 
tricks  upon  travellers  ?  But  I  hope  to  prove  as  cun- 
ning as  you."  Then  getting  out  of  bed,  he  groped 
about  the  room,  and  at  last  found  a  large  thick  billet 
of  wood ;  he  laid  it  in  his  own  place  in  the  bed,  and 
then  hid  himself  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  room.  In 
the  middle  of  the  night  the  giant  came  with  his 
great  club,  and  struck  many  heavy  blows  on  the  bed, 
in  the  very  place  where  Jack  had  laid  the  billet,  and 
then  he  went  back  to  his  own  room,  thinking  he  had 
broken  all  his  bones.  Early  in  the  morning.  Jack 
put  a  bold  face  upon  the  matter,  and  walked  into 
the  giant's  room  to  thank  him  for  his  lodgings.  The 
giant  started  when  he  saw  him,  and  he  began  to 
stammer  out,  "  Oh,  dear  me !  Is  it  you  ?  Pray,  how 
did  you  sleep  last  night?  Did  you  hear  or  see  any 
thing  in  the  dead  of  the  night  ?  "  "  Nothing  worth 
speaking  of,"  said  Jack  carelessly ;  ''  a  rat,  I  believe, 
gave  me  three  or  four  slaps  with  his  tail,  and  dis- 
turbed me  a  little ;  but  I  soon  went  to  sleep  again." 
The  giant  wondered  more  and  more  at  this ;  yet  he 
did  not  answer  a  word,  but  went  to  bring  two  great 
bowls  of  hasty-pudding  for  their  breakfast.  Jack 
wished  to  make  the  giant  believe  that  he  could  eat 
as  much  as  himself.     So  he  contrived  to  button  a 


26o     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

leathern  bag  inside  his  coat,  and  slipped  the  hasty- 
pudding  into  this  bag,  while  he  seemed  to  put  it  into 
his  mouth.  When  breakfast  was  over,  he  said  to  the 
giant :  ''  Now  I  will  show  you  a  fine  trick ;  I  can  cure 
all  wounds  with  a  touch ;  I  could  cut  off  my  head 
one  minute,  and  the  next,  put  it  sound  again  on  my 
shoulders :  you  shall  see  an  example."  He  then  took 
hold  of  the  knife,  ripped  up  the  leathern  bag,  and  all 
the  hasty-pudding  tumbled  out  upon  the  floor. 
"  Ods  splutter  hur  nails,"  cried  the  Welsh  giant, 
who  was  ashamed  to  be  outdone  by  such  a  little  fel- 
low as  Jack,  *'  hur  can  do  that  hurself."  So  he 
snatched  up  the  knife,  plunged  it  into  his  stomach, 
and  in  a  moment  dropped  down  dead. 

As  soon  as  Jack  had  thus  tricked  the  Welsh  mon- 
ster, he  went  farther  on  his  journey ;  and  a  few  days 
after  he  met  with  King  Arthur's  only  son,  who  had 
got  his  father's  leave  to  travel  into  Wales,  to  deliver 
a  beautiful  lady  from  the  power  of  a  wicked  magi- 
cian, who  held  her  in  his  enchantments.  When 
Jack  found  that  the  young  prince  had  no  servants 
with  him,  he  begged  leave  to  attend  him ;  and  the 
prince  at  once  agreed  to  this,  and  gave  Jack  many 
thanks  for  his  kindness.  The  prince  was  a  hand- 
some, polite,  and  brave  knight,  and  so  good-natured 
that  he  gave  money  to  every  body  he  met.  At  length 
he  gave  his  last  penny  to  an  old  woman,  and  then 
turned  to  Jack,  and  said :  "  How  shall  we  be  able 
to  get  food  for  ourselves  the  rest  of  our  journey?  " 
''  Leave  that  to  me  sir,"  said  Jack ;  *'  I  will  provide 
for  my  prince."  Night  now  came  on,  and  the  prince 
began  to  grow  uneasy  at  thinking  where  they  should 
lodge.     "  Sir,"  said  Jack,  ''  be  of  good  heart ;  two 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  261 

miles  farther  there  Hves  a  large  giant,  whom  I  know 
well.  He  has  three  heads,  and  will  fight  five  hundred 
men,  and  make  them  fly  before  him."  "  Alas!  "  re- 
plied the  king's  son,  ''  we  had  better  never  have  been 
born  than  meet  with  such  a  monster."  '*  My  lord, 
leave  me  to  manage  him,  and  wait  here  in  quiet  till  I 
return."  The  prince  now  staid  behind,  while  Jack 
rode  on  full  speed.  And  when  he  came  to  the  gates 
of  the  castle,  he  gave  a  loud  knock.  The  giant,  with 
a  voice  like  thunder,  roared  out:  "  Who  is  there?  " 
And  Jack  made  answer,  and  said :  ''  No  one  but 
your  poor  cousin  Jack."  ''  Well,"  said  the  giant, 
"what  news,  cousin  Jack?"  "Dear  uncle,"  said 
Jack,  ''  I  have  some  heavy  news."  "  Pooh !  "  said 
the  giant,  *' what  heavy  news  can  come  to  me?  I 
am  a  giant  with  three  heads ;  and  can  fight  five  hun- 
dred men,  and  make  them  fly  before  me."  "  Alas !  " 
said  Jack,  "  Here  is  the  king's  son,  coming  with  two 
thousand  men,  to  kill  you,  and  to  destroy  the  castle 
and  all  that  you  have."  ''  Oh,  cousin  Jack,"  said  the 
giant,  ''  This  is  heavy  news  indeed !  But  I  have  a 
large  cellar  under  ground,  where  I  will  hide  myself, 
and  you  shall  lock,  and  bar  me  in,  and  keep  the  keys 
till  the  king's  son  is  gone." 

Now  when  Jack  had  made  the  giant  fast  in  the 
vault,  he  went  back  and  fetched  the  prince  to  the 
castle;  they  both  made  themselves  merry  with  the 
wine  and  other  dainties  that  were  in  the  house.  So 
that  night  they  rested  very  pleasantly,  while  the 
poor  giant  lay  trembling  and  shaking  with  fear  in 
the  cellar  under  ground.  Early  in  the  morning.  Jack 
gave  the  king's  son  gold  and  silver  out  of  the  giant's 
treasure,  and  set  him  three  miles  forward  on  his 


262     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

journey.  He  then  went  to  let  his  uncle  out  of  the 
hole,  who  asked  Jack  what  he  should  give  him  as  a 
reward  for  saving  his  castle.  "  Why,  good  uncle," 
said  Jack,  ''  I  desire  nothing  but  the  old  coat  and 
cap,  with  the  old  rusty  sword  and  slippers,  which 
are  hanging  at  your  bed's  head."  Then  said  the 
giant :  "  You  shall  have  them ;  and  pray  keep  them 
for  my  sake,  for  they  are  things  of  great  use :  the 
coat  will  keep  you  invisible,  the  cap  will  give  you 
knowledge,  the  sword  cut  through  anything,  and  the 
shoes  are  of  vast  swiftness ;  these  may  be  useful  to 
you  in  all  times  of  danger,  so  take  them  with  all  my 
heart."  Jack  gave  many  thanks  to  the  giant,  and 
then  set  ofif  to  the  prince.  When  he  had  come  up 
with  the  king's  son,  they  soon  arrived  at  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  beautiful  lady,  who  was  under  the  power 
of  a  wicked  magician.  She  received  the  prince  very 
politely,  and  made  a  noble  feast  for  him ;  and  when  it 
was  ended,  she  rose,  and  wiping  her  mouth  with  a 
fine  handkerchief,  said :  ''  My  lord,  you  must  submit 
to  the  custom  of  my  palace;  to-morrow  morning  I 
command  you  to  tell  me  on  whom  I  bestow  this 
handkerchief  or  lose  your  head."  She  then  went 
out  of  the  room.  The  young  prince  went  to  bed 
very  mournful :  but  Jack  put  on  his  cap  of  knowl- 
edge, which  told  him  that  the  lady  was  forced,  by  the 
power  of  enchantment,  to  meet  the  wicked  magician 
every  night  in  the  middle  of  the  forest.  Jack  now 
put  on  his  coat  of  darkness,  and  his  shoes  of  swift- 
ness, and  was  there  before  her.  When  the  lady 
came,  she  gave  the  handkerchief  to  the  magician. 
Jack  with  his  sword  of  sharpness,  at  one  blow,  cut 
off  his  head ;  the  enchantment  was  then  ended  in  a 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  263 

moment,  and  the  lady  was  restored  to  her  former 
virtue  and  goodness. 

She  was  married  to  the  prince  on  the  next  day, 
and  soon  after  went  back  with  her  royal  husband, 
and  a  great  company,  to  the  court  of  King  Arthur, 
where  they  were  received  with  loud  and  joyful  wel- 
comes ;  and  the  valiant  hero  Jack,  for  the  many  great 
exploits  he  had  done  for  the  good  of  his  country, 
was  made  one  of  the  Knights  of  the  Round  Table. 
As  Jack  had  been  so  lucky  in  all  his  adventures,  he 
resolved  not  to  be  idle  for  the  future,  but  still  to 
do  what  services  he  could  for  the  honour  of  the  king 
and  the  nation.  He  therefore  humbly  begged  his 
majesty  to  furnish  him  with  a  horse  and  money, 
that  he  might  travel  in  search  of  new  and  strange 
exploits.  "  For,"  said  he  to  the  king,  ''  there  are 
many  giants  yet  living  in  the  remote  parts  of  Wales, 
to  the  great  terror  and  distress  of  your  majesty's 
subjects;  therefore  if  it  please  you,  sire,  to  favour 
me  in  my  design,  I  will  soon  rid  your  kingdom  of 
these  giants  and  monsters  in  human  shape."  Now 
when  the  king  heard  this  offer,  and  began  to  think 
of  the  cruel  deeds  of  these  blood-thirsty  giants  and 
savage  monsters,  he  gave  Jack  every  thing  proper 
for  such  a  journey.  After  this  Jack  took  leave  of  the 
king,  the  prince,  and  all  the  knights,  and  set  off; 
taking  with  him  his  cap  of  knowledge,  his  sword  of 
sharpness,  his  shoes  of  swiftness,  and  his  invisible 
coat,  the  better  to  perform  the  great  exploits  that 
might  fall  in  his  way.  He  went  along  over  high  hills 
and  lofty  mountains,  and  on  the  third  day  he  came 
to  a  large  wide  forest,  through  which  his  road  led. 
He  had  hardly  entered  the  forest,  when  on  a  sudden 


264     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

he  heard  very  dreadful  shrieks  and  cries.  He  forced 
his  way  through  the  trees,  and  saw  a  monstrous 
giant  dragging  along  by  the  hair  of  their  heads  a 
handsome  knight  and  his  beautiful  lady.  Their  tears 
and  cries  melted  the  heart  of  honest  Jack  to  pity  and 
compassion ;  he  alighted  from  his  horse,  and  tying 
him  to  an  oak  tree  he  put  on  his  invisible  coat,  under 
which  he  carried  his  sword  of  sharpness. 

When  he  came  up  to  the  giant,  he  made  several 
strokes  at  him,  but  could  not  reach  his  body,  on  ac- 
count of  the  enormous  height  of  the  terrible  creature, 
but  he  wounded  his  thighs  in  several  places ;  and  at 
length,  putting  both  hands  to  his  sword,  and  aim- 
ing with  all  his  might,  he  cut  off  both  the  giant's  legs 
just  below  the  garter;  and  the  trunk  of  his  body 
tumbling  to  the  ground,  made  not  only  the  trees 
shake,  but  the  earth  itself  tremble  with  the  force  of 
his  fall.  Then  Jack,  setting  his  foot  upon  his  neck, 
exclaimed,  "  Thou  barbarous  and  savage  wretch, 
behold  I  come  to  execute  upon  thee  the  just  reward 
for  all  thy  crimes ;  "  and  instantly  plunged  his  sword 
into  the  giant's  body.  The  huge  monster  gave  a 
hideous  groan,  and  yielded  up  his  life  into  the  hands 
of  the  victorious  Jack  the  Giant  Killer,  whilst  the 
noble  knight  and  the  virtuous  lady  were  both  joyful 
spectators  of  his  sudden  death  and  their  deliverance. 
The  courteous  knight  and  his  fair  lady,  not  only  re- 
turned Jack  hearty  thanks  for  their  deliverance,  but 
also  invited  him  to  their  house,  to  refresh  himself 
after  his  dreadful  encounter,  as  likewise  to  receive  a 
reward  for  his  good  services.  "  No,"  said  Jack,  **  I 
cannot  be  at  ease  till  I  find  out  the  den  that  was  the 
monster's  habitation."     The  knight  on  hearing  this 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  265 

grew  very  sorrowful,  and  replied,  "  Noble  stranger, 
it  is  too  much  to  run  a  second  hazard ;  this  monster 
lived  in  a  den  under  yonder  mountain,  with  a  brother 
of  his,  more  fierce  and  cruel  than  himself ;  therefore, 
if  you  should  go  thither,  and  perish  in  the  attempt, 
it  would  be  a  heart-breaking  thing  to  me  and  my 
lady ;  so  let  me  persuade  you  to  go  with  us,  and  de- 
sist from  any  farther  pursuit."  "  Nay,"  answered 
Jack,  "  if  there  be  another,  even  if  there  were  twenty, 
I  would  shed  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  my  body  be- 
fore one  of  them  should  escape  my  fury.  When  I 
have  finished  this  task,  I  will  come  and  pay  my  re- 
spects to  you."  So  when  they  had  told  him  where  to 
find  them  again,  he  got  on  his  horse  and  went  after 
the  dead  giant's  brother. 

Jack  had  not  rode  a  mile  and  a  half,  before  he 
came  in  sight  of  the  mouth  of  the  cavern ;  and  nigh 
the  entrance  of  it,  he  saw  the  other  giant  sitting  on  a 
huge  block  of  fine  timber,  with  a  knotted  iron  club 
lying  by  his  side,  waiting  for  his  brother.  His  eyes 
looked  like  flames  of  fire,  his  face  was  grim  and  ugly, 
and  his  cheeks  seemed  like  two  flitches  of  bacon; 
the  bristles  of  his  beard  seemed  to  be  thick  rods  of 
iron  wire ;  and  his  long  locks  of  hair  hung  down 
upon  his  broad  shoulders  like  curling  snakes.  Jack 
got  down  from  his  horse,  and  turned  him  into  a 
thicket;  then  he  put  on  his  coat  of  darkness,  and 
drew  a  little  nearer  to  behold  this  figure,  and  said 
softly :  ''  Oh,  monster !  are  you  there  ?  It  will  not  be 
long  before  I  shall  take  you  fast  by  the  beard."  The 
giant  all  this  while,  could  not  see  him,  by  reason  of 
his  invisible  coat :  so  Jack  came  quite  close  to  him, 
and  struck  a  blow  at  his  head  with  his  sword  of 


266     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sharpness,  but  he  missed  his  aim,  and  only  cut  off 
his  nose,  which  made  him  roar  Hke  loud  claps  of 
thunder.  And  though  he  rolled  his  glaring  eyes 
round  on  every  side,  he  could  not  see  who  had  given 
him  the  blow ;  yet  he  took  up  his  iron  club,  and  be- 
gan to  lay  about  him  like  one  that  was  mad  with  pain 
and  fury. 

"  Nay,"  said  Jack,  ''  if  this  be  the  case  I  will  kill 
you  at  once."  So  saying,  he  slipped  nimbly  behind 
him,  and  jumping  upon  the  block  of  timber,  as  the 
giant  rose  from  it,  he  stabbed  him  in  the  back ;  when, 
after  a  few  howls,  he  dropped  down  dead.  Jack 
cut  off  his  head,  and  sent  it  with  the  head  of  his 
brother,  whom  he  had  killed  before  in  the  forest,  to 
King  Arthur,  by  a  wagon  which  he  hired  for  that 
purpose,  with  an  account  of  all  his  exploits.  When 
Jack  had  thus  killed  these  two  monsters,  he  went 
into  their  cave  in  search  of  their  treasure :  he  passed 
through  many  turnings  and  windings,  which  led  him 
to  a  room  paved  with  freestone ;  at  the  end  of  it  was 
a  boiling  caldron,  and  on  the  right  hand  stood  a 
large  table  where  the  giants  used  to  dine.  He  then 
came  to  a  window  that  was  secured  with  iron  bars, 
through  which  he  saw  a  number  of  wretched  cap- 
tives, who  cried  out  when  they  saw  Jack,  "  Alas ! 
alas !  young  man,  you  are  come  to  be  one  among  us 
in  this  horrid  den."  ''  I  hope,"  said  Jack,  "  you  will 
not  stay  here  long;  but  pray  tell  me  what  is  the 
meaning  of  your  being  here  at  all  ?  "  "  Alas !  "  said 
one  poor  old  man,  "  I  will  tell  you,  sir.  We  are 
persons  that  have  been  taken  by  the  giants  who  hold 
this  cave,  and  are  kept  till  they  choose  to  have  a 
feast,  then  one  of  us  is  to  be  killed,  and  cooked 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  267 

to  please  their  taste.  It  is  not  long  since  they  took 
three  for  the  same  purpose."  "  Well,"  said  Jack, 
*'  I  have  given  them  such  a  dinner  that  it  will  be 
long  enough  before  they  have  any  more."  The 
captives  were  amazed  at  his  words.  "  You  may  be- 
lieve me,"  said  Jack ;  *'  for  I  have  killed  them  both 
with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  have  sent  their  large 
heads  to  the  court  of  King  Arthur,  as  marks  of  my 
great  success." 

To  show  them  that  what  he  said  was  true,  he  un- 
locked the  gate,  and  set  them  all  free.  Then  he 
led  them  to  the  great  room,  placed  them  round  the 
table,  and  set  before  them  two  quarters  of  beef, 
with  bread  and  wine ;  upon  which  they  feasted  to 
their  fill.  When  supper  was  over,  they  searched  the 
giants'  coffers,  and  Jack  shared  the  store  in  them 
among  the  captives,  who  thanked  him  for  their  es- 
cape. The  next  morning  they  set  off  to  their  homes, 
and  Jack  to  the  knight's  house,  whom  he  had  left 
with  his  lady  not  long  before.  It  was  just  at  the 
time  of  sunrise  that  Jack  mounted  his  horse  to  pro- 
ceed on  his  journey. 

He  arrived  at  the  knight's  house,  where  he  was 
received  with  the  greatest  joy  by  the  thankful  knight 
and  his  lady,  who,  in  honour  of  Jack's  exploits,  gave 
a  grand  feast,  to  which  all  the  nobles  and  gentry 
were  invited.  When  the  company  were  assembled, 
the  knight  declared  to  them  the  great  actions  of 
Jack,  and  gave  him,  as  a  mark  of  respect,  a  fine 
ring,  on  which  was  engraved  the  picture  of  the  giant 
dragging  the  knight  and  the  lady  by  the  hair,  with 
this  motto  round  it : 


268     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  Behold,  in  dire  distress  were  we, 
Under  a  giant's  fierce  command ; 
But  gained  our  lives  and  liberty, 

From  valiant  Jack's  victorious  hand." 

Among  the  guests  then  present  were  five  aged 
gentlemen,  who  were  fathers  to  some  of  those  cap- 
tives who  had  been  freed  by  Jack  from  the  dungeon 
of  the  giants.  As  soon  as  they  heard  that  he  was  the 
person  who  had  done  such  wonders,  they  pressed 
round  him  with  tears  of  joy,  to  return  him  thanks 
for  the  happiness  he  had  caused  to  them.  After  this 
the  bowl  went  round,  and  every  one  drank  to  the 
health  and  long  life  of  the  gallant  hero.  Mirth  in- 
creased, and  the  hall  was  filled  with  peals  of  laugh- 
ter and  joyful  cries.  But,  on  a  sudden,  a  herald, 
pale  and  breathless  with  haste  and  terror,  rushed 
into  the  midst  of  the  company,  and  told  them  that 
Thundel,  a  savage  giant  with  two  heads,  had  heard 
of  the  death  of  his  two  kinsmen,  and  was  come  to 
take  his  revenge  on  Jack;  and  that  he  was  now 
within  a  mile  of  the  house ;  the  people  flying  before 
him  like  chaff  before  the  wnnd.  At  this  news  the 
very  boldest  of  the  guests  trembled ;  but  Jack  drew 
his  sword,  and  said :  ''  Let  him  come,  I  have  a  rod 
for  him  also.  Pray,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  do  me  the 
favour  to  walk  into  the  garden,  and  you  shall  soon 
behold  the  giant's  defeat  and  death."  To  this  they 
all  agreed,  and  heartily  wished  him  success  in  his 
dangerous  attempt.  The  knight's  house  stood  in 
the  middle  of  a  moat,  thirty  feet  deep  and  twenty 
wide,  over  which  lay  a  drawbridge.  Jack  set  men 
to  work,  to  cut  the  bridge  on  both  sides,  almost  to 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  269 

the  middle ;  and  then  dressed  himself  in  his  coat  of 
darkness,  and  went  against  the  giant  with  his  sword 
of  sharpness.  As  he  came  close  to  him,  though  the 
giant  could  not  see  him,  for  his  invisible  coat,  yet  he 
found  some  danger  was  near,  which  made  him  cry 
out: 

"  Fa,  fe,  fi,  fo,  fum, 
I  smell  the  blood  of  an  Englishman ; 
Let  him  be  alive,  or  let  him  be  dead, 
ril  grind  his  bones  to  make  me  bread." 

"  Say  you  so  my  friend?  "  said  Jack,  *'  you  are  a 
monstrous  miller  indeed."  "  Art  thou,"  cried  the 
giant,  ''the  villain  that  killed  my  kinsmen?  Then 
I  will  tear  thee  with  my  teeth,  and  grind  thy  bones 
to  powder."  "  You  must  catch  me  first,"  said  Jack ; 
and  throwing  off  his  coat  of  darkness,  and  putting 
on  his  shoes  of  swiftness,  he  began  to  run ;  the  giant 
following  him  like  a  walking  castle,  making  the 
earth  shake  at  every  step. 

Jack  led  him  round  and  round  the  walls  of  the 
house,  that  the  company  might  see  the  monster ;  and 
to  finish  the  work  Jack  ran  over  the  drawbridge, 
the  giant  going  after  him  with  his  club.  But  when 
the  giant  came  to  the  middle,  where  the  bridge  had 
been  cut  on  both  sides,  the  great  weight  of  his  body 
made  it  break,  and  he  tumbled  into  the  water,  and 
rolled  about  like  a  large  whale.  Jack  now  stood  by 
the  side  of  the  moat,  and  laughed  and  jeered  at 
him,  saying:  "I  think  you  told  me,  you  would 
grind  my  bones  to  powder.  When  will  you  begin  ?  " 
The  giant  foamed  at  both  his  horrid  mouths  with 
fury,  and  plunged  from  side  to  side  of  the  moat ; 


270     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

but  he  could  not  get  out  to  have  revenge  on  his  little 
foe.  At  last  Jack  ordered  a  cart  rope  to  be  brought 
to  him.  He  then  drew  it  over  his  two  heads,  and  by 
the  help  of  a  team  of  horses,  dragged  him  to  the 
edge  of  the  moat,  where  he  cut  off  the  monster's 
heads ;  and  before  he  either  eat  or  drank,  he  sent 
them  both  to  the  court  of  King  Arthur.  He  then 
went  back  to  the  table  with  the  company,  and  the 
rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  mirth  and  good  cheer. 
After  staying  with  the  knight  for  some  time.  Jack 
grew  weary  of  such  an  idle  life,  and  set  out  again  in 
search  of  new  adventures.  He  went  over  the  hills 
and  dales  without  meeting  any,  till  he  came  to  the 
foot  of  a  very  high  mountain.  Here  he  knocked 
at  the  door  of  a  small  and  lonely  house ;  and  an  old 
man,  with  a  head  as  white  as  snow,  let  him  in. 
''  Good  father,"  said  Jack,  "  can  you  lodge  a  traveller 
who  has  lost  his  way  ?  "  ''  Yes,"  said  the  hermit, 
"  I  can,  if  you  will  accept  such  fare  as  my  poor 
house  affords."  Jack  entered,  and  the  old  man  set 
before  him  some  bread  and  fruit  for  his  supper. 
When  Jack  had  eaten  as  much  as  he  chose,  the  her- 
mit said,  ''  My  son,  I  know  you  are  the  famous  con- 
queror of  giants ;  now,  on  the  top  of  this  mountain 
is  an  enchanted  castle,  kept  by  a  giant  named  Galli- 
gantus,  who,  by  the  help  of  a  vile  magician,  gets 
many  knights  into  his  castle,  where  he  changes  them 
into  the  shape  of  beasts.  Above  all  I  lament  the 
hard  fate  of  a  duke's  daughter,  whom  they  seized 
as  she  was  walking  in  her  father's  garden,  and 
brought  hither  through  the  air  in  a  chariot  drawn  by 
two  fiery  dragons,  and  turned  her  into  the  shape  of  a 
deer.    .Many  knights  have  tried  to  destroy  the  en- 


Jack  the  Giant  Killer  271 

chantment,  and  deliver  her ;  yet  none  have  been  able 
to  do  it,  by  reason  of  two  fiery  griffins  who  guard 
the  gate  of  the  castle,  and  destroy  all  who  come  nigh. 
But  as  you,  my  son,  have  an  invisible  coat,  you  may 
pass  by  them  without  being  seen ;  and  on  the  gates 
of  the  castle,  you  will  find  engraved,  by  what  means 
the  enchantment  may  be  broken." 

Jack  promised,  that  in  the  morning,  at  the  risk  of 
his  life  he  would  break  the  enchantment :  and  after 
a  sound  sleep  he  arose  early,  put  on  his  invisible 
coat,  and  got  ready  for  the  attempt.  When  he  had 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  he  saw  the  two 
fiery  griffins;  but  he  passed  between  them  without 
the  least  fear  of  danger ;  for  they  could  not  see  him 
because  of  his  invisible  coat.  On  the  castle  gate  he 
found  a  golden  trumpet,  under  which  were  written 
these  lines : 

"  Whoever  can  this  trumpet  blow, 
Shall  cause  the  giant's  overthrow." 

As  soon  as  Jack  had  read  this,  he  seized  the  trum- 
pet, and  blew  a  shrill  blast  which  made  the  gates 
fly  open  and  the  very  castle  itself  tremble.  The 
giant  and  the  conjurer  now  knew  that  their  wicked 
course  was  at  an  end,  and  they  stood  biting  their 
thumbs  and  shaking  with  fear.  Jack,  with  his  sword 
of  sharpness,  soon  killed  the  giant.  The  magician 
was  then  carried  away  by  a  whirlwind  and  every 
knight  and  beautiful  lady,  who  had  been  changed 
into  birds  and  beasts,  returned  to  their  proper  shapes. 
The  castle  vanished  away  like  smoke  and  the  head 
of  the  giant  Galligantus  was  sent  to  King  Arthur. 


272     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  knights  and  ladies  rested  that  night  at  the  old 
man's  hermitage,  and  next  day  they  set  out  for  the 
court.  Jack  then  went  up  to  the  king,  and  gave  his 
majesty  an  account  of  all  his  fierce  battles.  Jack's 
fame  had  spread  through  the  whole  country ;  and  at 
the  king's  desire,  the  duke  gave  him  his  daugh- 
ter in  marriage,  to  the  joy  of  all  the  kingdom.  After 
this  the  king  gave  him  a  large  estate ;  on  which  he 
and  his  lady  lived  the  rest  of  their  days,  in  joy  and 
content. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

LITTLE   RED   RIDING   HOOD 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  a  village  a  coun- 
try girl,  who  was  the  sweetest  little  creature  that 
ever  was  seen ;  her  mother  naturally  loved  her  with 
excessive  fondness,  and  her  grandmother  doted  on 
her  still  more.  The  good  woman  had  made  for  her 
a  pretty  little  red-coloured  hood,  which  so  much  be- 
came the  little  girl,  that  every  one  called  her  Little 
Red  Riding  Hood. 

One  day  her  mother  having  made  some  cheese- 
cakes, said  to  her,  ''  Go,  my  child,  and  see  how  your 
grandmother  does,  for  I  hear  she  is  ill;  carry  her 
some  of  these  cakes,  and  a  little  pot  of  butter." 
Little  Red  Riding  Hood  straight  set  out  with  a  bas- 
ket filled  with  the  cakes  and  the  pot  of  butter,  for 
her  grandmother's  house,  which  was  in  a  village  a 
little  way  off  the  town  that  her  mother  lived  in.  As 
she  was  crossing  a  wood,  which  lay  in  her  road,  she 
met  a  large  wolf,  which  had  a  great  mind  to  eat  her 
up,  but  dared  not,  for  fear  of  some  wood-cutters,  who 
were  at  work  near  them  in  the  forest.  Yet  he  spoke 
to  her,  and  asked  her  whither  she  was  going.  The 
little  girl,  who  did  not  know  the  danger  of  talking 
to  a  wolf,  replied :  "  I  am  going  to  see  my  grand- 
mamma, and  carry  these  cakes  and  a  pot  of  butter." 


2  74     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

''  Does  she  live  far  off  ?  "  said  the  wolf.  *'  Oh  yes !  " 
answered  Little  Red  Riding  Hood ;  "  beyond  the  mill 
you  see  yonder,  at  the  first  house  in  the  village." 
'*  Well,"  said  the  wolf,  "  I  will  take  this  way,  and 
you  take  that,  and  see  which  will  be  there  the  soon- 
est." 

The  wolf  set  out  full  speed,  running  as  fast  as  he 
could,  and  taking  the  nearest  way,  while  the  little 
girl  took  the  longest;  and  as  she  went  along  began 
to  gather  nuts,  run  after  butterflies,  and  make  nose- 
gays of  such  flowers  as  she  found  within  her  reach. 
The  w^olf  got  to  the  dwelling  of  the  grandmother 
first,  and  knocked  at  the  door.  "  Who  is  there  ?  " 
said  some  voice  in  the  house.  ''It  is  your  grand- 
child, Little  Red  Riding  Hood,"  said  the  wolf,  speak- 
ing like  the  little  girl  as  well  as  he  could.  ''  I  have 
brought  you  some  cheesecakes,  and  a  little  pot  of 
butter,  that  mamma  has  sent  you."  The  good  old 
woman,  who  was  ill  in  bed,  called  out,  ''  Pull  the 
bobbin,  and  the  latch  will  go  up."  The  wolf  pulled 
the  bobbin,  and  the  door  went  open.  The  wolf  then 
jumped  upon  the  poor  old  grandmother,  and  ate  her 
up  in  a  moment,  for  it  was  three  days  since  he  had 
tasted  any  food.  The  wolf  then  shut  the  door,  and 
laid  himself  down  in  the  bed,  and  waited  for  Little 
Red  Riding  Hood,  who  very  soon  after  reached  the 
house.  Tap !  tap !  ''  Who  is  there  ?  "  cried  he.  She 
was  at  first  a  little  afraid  at  hearing  the  gruff  voice 
of  the  wolf,  but  she  thought  that  perhaps  her  grand- 
mother had  got  a  cold,  so  she  answered :  ''  It  is  your 
grandchild.  Little  Red  Riding  Hood.  Mamma  has 
sent  you  some  cheesecakes,  and  a  little  pot  of  but- 
ter."    The  wolf  cried  out  in  a  softer  voice,  "  Pull 


Little  Red  Riding  Hood  275 

the  bobbin,  and  the  latch  will  go  up."  Little  Red 
Riding  Hood  pulled  the  bobbin,  and  the  door  went 
open.  When  she  came  into  the  room,  the  wolf  hid 
himself  under  the  bedclothes,  and  said  to  her,  try- 
ing all  he  could  to  speak  in  a  feeble  voice :  "  Put  the 
basket  on  the  stool,  my  dear,  and  take  off  your 
clothes,  and  come  into  bed."  Little  Red  Riding 
Hood,  who  always  used  to  do  as  she  was  told, 
straight  undressed  herself,  and  stepped  into  bed; 
but  she  thought  it  strange  to  see  how  her  grand- 
mother looked  in  her  nightclothes,  so  she  said  to  her : 
'*  Dear  me,  grandmamma,  what  great  arms  you  have 
got !  "  They  are  so  much  the  better  to  hug  you,  my 
child,"  replied  the  wolf.  "  But  grandmamma,"  said 
the  little  girl,  '*  what  great  ears  you  have  got !  " 
**  They  are  so  much  the  better  to  hear  you,  my  child," 
replied  the  wolf.  "  But  then,  grandmamma,  what 
great  eyes  you  have  got !  "  said  the  little  girl.  "  They 
are  so  much  the  better  to  see  you,  my  child,"  replied 
the  wolf.  "  And  grandmamma,  what  great  teeth 
you  have  got !  "  said  the  little  girl,  who  now  began 
to  be  rather  afraid.  ''  They  are  to  eat  you  up,"  said 
the  wolf;  and  saying  these  words,  the  wicked  crea- 
ture fell  upon  Little  Red  Riding  Hood,  and  ate  her 
up  in  a  moment. 


CHAPTER  XX 


THE   THREE   BEARS 


In  a  far-off  country  there  was  once  a  little  g^rl 
who  was  called  Silver-hair,  because  her  curly  hair 
shone  brightly.  She  was  a  sad  romp,  and  so  rest- 
less that  she  could  not  be  kept  quiet  at  home,  but 
must  needs  run  out  and  away,  without  leave. 

One  day  she  started  off  into  a  wood  to  gather 
wild  flowers,  and  into  the  fields  to  chase  butterflies. 
She  ran  here  and  she  ran  there,  and  went  so  far, 
at  last,  that  she  found  herself  in  a  lonely  place,  where 
she  saw  a  snug  little  house,  in  which  three  bears 
lived ;  but  they  were  not  then  at  home. 

The  door  was  ajar,  and  Silver-hair  pushed  it  open 
and  found  the  place  to  be  quite  empty,  so  she  made 
up  her  mind  to  go  in  boldly,  and  look  all  about  the 
place,  little  thinking  what  sort  of  people  lived  there. 

Now  the  three  bears  had  gone  out  to  walk  a  little 
before  this.  They  were  the  Big  Bear,  and  the  Mid- 
dle-sized Bear,  and  the  Little  Bear;  but  they  had 
left  their  porridge  on  the  table  to  cool.  So  when 
Silver-hair  came  into  the  kitchen,  she  saw  the  three 
bowls  of  porridge.  She  tasted  the  largest  bowl, 
which  belonged  to  the  Big  Bear,  and  found  it  too 
cold;  then  she  tasted  the  middle-sized  bowl,  which 
belonged  to  the  Middle-sized  Bear,  and  found  it  too 
hot;  then  she  tasted  the  smallest  bowl,  which  be- 


The  Three  Bears  277 

longed  to  the  Little  Bear,  and  it  was  just  right,  and 
she  ate  it  all. 

She  went  into  the  parlour,  and  there  were  three 
chairs.  She  tried  the  biggest  chair,  which  belonged 
to  the  Big  Bear,  and  found  it  too  high;  then  she 
tried  the  middle-sized  chair,  which  belonged  to  the 
Middle-sized  Bear,  and  she  found  it  too  broad ;  then 
she  tried  the  little  chair,  which  belonged  to  the  Little 
Bear,  and  found  it  just  right,  but  she  sat  in  it  so 
hard  that  she  broke  it. 

Now  Silver-hair  was  by  this  time  very  tired, 
and  she  went  upstairs  to  the  chamber,  and  there  she 
found  three  beds.  She  tried  the  largest  bed,  which 
belonged  to  the  Big  Bear,  and  found  it  too  soft; 
then  she  tried  the  middle-sized  bed,  which  belonged 
to  the  Middle-sized  Bear,  and  she  found  it  too  hard ; 
then  she  tried  the  smallest  bed,  which  belonged  to  the 
Little  Bear,  and  found  it  just  right,  so  she  lay  down 
upon  it,  and  fell  fast  asleep. 

While  Silver-hair  was  lying  fast  asleep,  the  three 
bears  came  home  from  their  walk.  They  came  into 
the  kitchen,  to  get  their  porridge,  but  when  the  Big 
Bear  went  to  his,  he  growled  out : 

*' SOMEBODY  HAS  BEEN  TASTING  MY 
PORRIDGE !  " 

and  the  Middle-sized  Bear  looked  into  his  bowl,  and 
said: 

''  Somebody  has  been  tasting  my  porridge  !  " 
and  the  Little  Bear  piped : 

"  Somebody  has  tasted  my  porridge  and  eaten  it 
all  up!" 

Then  they  went  into  the  parlour,  and  the  Big  Bear 
growled : 


278     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  SOMEBODY  HAS  BEEN  SITTING  IN  MY 
CHAIR!" 
and  the  Middle-sized  Bear  said: 

''Somebody  has  been  sitting  in  my  chair!" 
and  the  Little  Bear  piped : 

"Somebody  has  been  sitting  in  my  chair,  and 
has  broken  it  all  to  pieces!'' 

So  they  went  up-stairs  into  the  chamber,  and  the 
Big  Bear  growled: 

"  SOMEBODY  HAS  BEEN  TUMBLING  MY 
BED !  " 
and  the  Middle-sized  Bear  said: 

"  Somebody  has  been  tumbling  my  bed!  " 
and  the  little  Bear  piped : 

'^Somebody  has  been  tiimbling  my  bed,  and  here 
she  is! " 

At  that,  Silver-hair  woke  in  a  fright,  and  jumped 
out  of  the  window  and  ran  away  as  fast  as  her  legs 
could  carry  her,  and  never  went  near  the  Three 
Bears'  snug  little  house  again. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE    PRINCESS   ON    THE   PEA 

There  was  once  a  prince  who  wanted  to  marry 
a  princess ;  but  she  was  to  be  a  real  princess.  So  he 
travelled  about,  all  through  the  world,  to  find  a  real 
one,  but  everywhere  there  was  something  in  the 
way.  There  were  princesses  enough,  but  whether 
they  were  real  princesses  he  could  not  quite  make 
out :  there  was  always  something  that  did  not  seem 
quite  right.  So  he  came  home  again,  and  was  quite 
sad :  for  he  wished  so  much  to  have  a  real  princess. 
One  evening  a  terrible  storm  came  on.  It  lightened 
and  thundered,  the  rain  streamed  down;  it  was 
quite  fearful !  Then  there  was  a  knocking  at  the 
town  gate,  and  the  old  king  went  out  to  open  it. 

It  was  a  princess  who  stood  outside  the  gate. 
But,  mercy !  how  she  looked,  from  the  rain  and  the 
rough  weather !  The  water  ran  down  from  her  hair 
and  her  clothes ;  it  ran  in  at  the  points  of  her  shoes, 
and  out  at  the  heels ;  and  yet  she  declared  that  she 
was  a  real  princess. 

"  Yes,  we  will  soon  find  that  out,"  thought  the  old 
queen.  But  she  said  nothing,  only  went  into  the 
bedchamber,  took  all  the  bedding  ofif,  and  put  a  pea 
on  the  flooring  of  the  bedstead  ;  then  she  took  twenty 
mattresses  and  laid  them  upon  the  pea,  and  then 


28o     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

twenty  eider-down  beds  upon  the  mattresses.  On 
this  the  princess  had  to  He  all  night.  In  the  morn- 
ing she  was  asked  how  she  had  slept. 

"  Oh,  miserably!  "  said  the  princess.  ''  I  scarcely 
closed  my  eyes  all  night  long.  Goodness  knows  what 
w^as  in  my  bed.  I  lay  upon  something  hard,  so  that 
I  am  black  and  blue  all  over.    It  is  quite  dreadful !  " 

Now  they  saw  that  she  was  a  real  princess,  for 
through  the  twenty  mattresses  and  the  twenty  eider- 
down beds  she  had  felt  the  pea.  No  one  but  a  real 
princess  could  be  so  delicate. 

So  the  prince  took  her  for  his  wife,  for  now  he 
knew  that  he  had  a  true  princess;  and  the  pea  was 
put  in  the  museum,  and  it  is  there  now,  unless  some- 
body has  carried  it  off. 

Look  you,  this  is  a  true  story. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE    UGLY   DUCKLING 

It  was  so  glorious  out  in  the  country ;  it  was  sum- 
mer ;  the  cornfields  were  yellow,  the  oats  were  green, 
the  hay  had  been  put  up  in  stacks  in  the  green  mead- 
ows, and  the  stork  went  about  on  his  long  red  legs, 
and  chattered  Egyptian,  for  this  was  the  language  he 
had  learned  from  his  good  mother.  All  around  the 
fields  and  meadows  were  great  forests,  and  in  the 
midst  of  these  forests  lay  deep  lakes.  Yes,  it  was 
right  glorious  out  in  the  country.  In  the  midst  of 
the  sunshine  there  lay  an  old  farm,  with  deep  canals 
about  it,  and  from  the  wall  down  to  the  water  grew 
great  burdocks,  so  high  that  little  children  could 
stand  upright  under  the  loftiest  of  them.  It  was 
just  as  wild  there  as  in  the  deepest  wood,  and  here 
sat  a  Duck  upon  her  nest ;  she  had  to  hatch  her 
ducklings ;  but  she  was  almost  tired  out  before  the 
little  ones  came  and  then  she  so  seldom  had  visitors. 
The  other  ducks  liked  better  to  swim  about  in  the 
canals  than  to  run  up  to  sit  down  under  a  burdock, 
and  cackle  with  her. 

At  last  one  egg-shell  after  another  burst  open. 
"  Piep !  piep !  "  it  cried,  and  in  all  the  eggs  there 
were  little  creatures  that  stuck  out  their  heads. 

''  Quack !  quack !  "  they  said ;  and  they  all  came 
quacking  out  as  fast  as  they  could,  looking  all  round 


282     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

them  under  the  green  leaves;  and  the  mother  let 
them  look  as  much  as  they  chose,  for  green  is  good 
for  the  eye. 

"  How  wide  the  world  is !  "  said  all  the  young 
ones,  for  they  certainly  had  much  more  room  now 
than  when  they  were  in  the  eggs. 

"D'ye  think  this  is  all  the  world?"  said  the 
mother.  "  That  stretches  far  across  the  other  side 
of  the  garden,  quite  into  the  parson's  field;  but  I 
have  never  been  there  yet.  I  hope  you  are  all  to- 
gether," and  she  stood  up.  "  No,  I  have  not  all. 
The  largest  tgg  still  lies  there.  How  long  is  that  to 
last?  I  am  really  tired  of  it."  And  she  sat  down 
again. 

"  Well,  how  goes  it  ?  "  asked  an  old  Duck  who 
had  come  to  pay  her  a  visit. 

''  It  lasts  a  long  time  with  that  one  &gg,''  said  the 
Duck  who  sat  there.  "  It  will  not  burst.  Now,  only 
look  at  the  others ;  are  they  not  the  prettiest  little 
ducks  one  could  possibly  see  ?  They  are  all  like  their 
father.    The  rogue,  he  never  comes  to  see  me." 

''  Let  me  see  the  tgg  which  will  not  burst,"  said 
the  old  visitor.  "  You  may  be  sure  it  is  a  turkey's 
Qgg.  I  was  once  cheated  in  that  way,  and  had  much 
anxiety  and  trouble  with  the  young  ones,  for  they 
are  afraid  of  the  water.  Must  I  say  it  to  you,  I 
could  not  get  them  to  venture  in.  I  quacked  and  I 
clacked,  but  it  was  no  use.  Let  me  see  the  tgg. 
Yes,  that's  a  turkey's  ^gg.  Let  it  lie  there,  and 
teach  the  other  children  to  swim." 

"  I  think  I  will  sit  on  it  a  little  longer,"  said  the 
Duck.  "  I've  sat  so  long  now  that  I  can  sit  a  few 
days  more." 


The  Ugly  Duckling  283 

*'  Just  as  you  please,"  said  the  old  Duck ;  and  she 
went  away. 

At  last  the  great  egg  burst.  *'  Piep !  piep !  "  said 
the  little  one,  and  crept  forth.  It  was  very  large  and 
very  ugly.    The  Duck  looked  at  it. 

**  It's  a  very  large  duckling,"  said  she ;  "  none  of 
the  others  look  like  that.  Can  it  really  be  a  turkey 
chick?  Well,  we  shall  soon  find  out.  It  must  go 
into  the  w^ater,  even  if  I  have  to  thrust  it  in  my- 
self." 

The  next  day  it  was  bright,  beautiful  weather; 
the  sun  shone  on  all  the  green  trees.  The  Mother- 
Duck  went  down  to  the  canal  with  all  her  family. 
Splash !  she  jumped  into  the  water.  "  Quack ! 
quack !  "  she  said,  and  one  duckling  after  another 
plunged  in.  The  water  closed  over  their  heads,  but 
they  came  up  in  an  instant,  and  swam  capitally; 
their  legs  went  of  themselves,  and  they  were  all  in 
the  water.  The  ugly  gray  Duckling  swam  with 
them. 

"  No,  it's  not  a  turkey,"  said  she ;  "  look  how  well 
it  can  use  its  legs,  and  how  straight  it  holds  itself. 
It  is  my  own  child !  On  the  whole  it's  quite  pretty, 
if  one  looks  at  it  rightly.  Quack !  quack !  come  with 
me,  and  I'll  lead  you  out  into  the  great  world,  and 
present  you  in  the  duck-yard ;  but  keep  close  to  me, 
so  that  no  one  may  tread  on  you,  and  take  care  of 
the  cats !  " 

And  so  they  came  into  the  duck-yard.  There  was 
a  terrible  riot  going  on  in  there,  for  two  families 
were  quarrelling  about  an  eel's  head,  and  the  cat  got 
it  after  all. 

**  See,  that's  how  it  goes  in  the  world !  "  said  the 


284     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Mother-Duck;  and  she  whetted  her  beak,  for  she 
too  wanted  the  eel's  head.  "  Only  use  your  legs," 
she  said.  "  See  that  you  can  bustle  about,  and  bow 
your  heads  before  the  old  Duck  yonder.  She's  the 
grandest  of  all  here ;  she's  of  Spanish  blood — that's 
why  she's  so  fat ;  and  d'ye  see  ?  she  has  a  red  rag 
round  her  leg ;  that's  something  particularly  fine,  and 
the  greatest  distinction  a  duck  can  enjoy ;  it  signifies 
that  one  does  not  want  to  lose  her,  and  that  she's 
to  be  known  by  the  animals  and  by  men  too.  Shake 
yourselves — don't  turn  in  your  toes ;  a  well  brought- 
up  duck  turns  its  toes  quite  out,  just  like  father  and 
mother — so!  Now  bend  your  necks  and  say 
'  Quack ! '  " 

And  they  did  so :  but  the  other  ducks  round  about 
looked  at  them,  and  said  quite  boldly : 

''  Look  there !  now  we're  to  have  these  hanging 
on,  as  if  there  were  not  enough  of  us  already !  And 
— fie ! — how  that  duckling  yonder  looks ;  we  won't 
stand  that !  "  And  one  duck  flew  up  at  it,  and  bit  it 
in  the  neck. 

"  Let  it  alone,"  said  the  mother ;  ''  it  does  no  harm 
to  any  one." 

"  Yes,  but  it's  too  large  and  peculiar,"  said  the 
Duck  who  had  bitten  it ;  "  and  therefore  it  must  be 
put  down." 

"  Those  are  pretty  children  that  the  mother  has 
there,"  said  the  old  Duck  with  the  rag  round  her 
leg.  "  They're  all  pretty  but  that  one ;  that  was 
rather  unlucky.    I  wish  she  could  bear  it  over  again." 

"  That  cannot  be  done,  my  lady,"  replied  the 
Mother-Duck.  ''  It  is  not  pretty,  but  it  has  a  really 
good  disposition,  and  swims  as  well  as  any  other; 


The  Ugly  Duckling  285 

yes,  I  may  even  say  it,  swims  better.  I  think  it  will 
grow  up  pretty,  and  become  smaller  in  time ;  it  has 
lain  too  long  in  the  egg,  and  therefore  is  not  properly 
shaped."  And  then  she  pinched  it  in  the  neck,  and 
smoothed  its  feathers.  ''  Moreover,  it  is  a  drake," 
she  said,  ''  and  therefore  it  is  not  of  so  much  conse- 
quence. I  think  he  will  be  very  strong.  He  makes 
his  way  already." 

*'  The  other  ducklings  are  graceful  enough,"  said 
the  old  Duck.  *'  Make  yourself  at  home ;  and  if  you 
find  an  eel's  head,  you  may  bring  it  me." 

And  now  they  were  at  home.  But  the  poor  Duck- 
ling which  had  crept  last  out  of  the  egg,  and  looked 
so  ugly,  was  bitten  and  pushed  and  jeered,  as  much 
by  the  ducks  as  by  the  chickens. 

"  It  is  too  big !  "  they  all  said.  And  the  turkey- 
cock,  who  had  been  born  with  spurs,  and  therefore 
thought  himself  an  emperor,  blew  himself  up  like  a 
ship  in  full  sail,  and  bore  straight  down  upon  it ;  then 
he  gobbled  and  grew  quite  red  in  the  face.  The  poor 
Duckling  did  not  know  where  it  should  stand  or 
walk;  it  was  quite  melancholy  because  it  looked 
ugly,  and  was  the  butt  of  the  whole  duck-yard. 

So  it  went  on  the  first  day ;  and  afterwards  it  be- 
came worse  and  worse.  The  poor  Duckling  was 
hunted  about  by  every  one ;  even  its  brothers  and 
sisters  were  quite  angry  with  it,  and  said,  "  If  the 
cat  would  only  catch  you,  you  ugly  creature !  "  And 
the  mother  said,  ''  If  you  were  only  far  away !  " 
And  the  ducks  bit  it,  and  the  chickens  beat  it,  and  the 
girl  who  had  to  feed  the  poultry  kicked  at  it  with  her 
foot. 


2  86     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

Then  it  ran  and  flew  over  the  fence,  and  the  Httle 
birds  in  the  bushes  flew  up  in  fear. 

"  That  is  because  I  am  so  ugly !  "  thought  the 
DuckHng;  and  it  shut  its  eyes,  but  flew  on  farther, 
and  so  it  came  out  into  the  great  moor,  where  the 
wild  ducks  lived.  Here  it  lay  the  whole  night  long ; 
and  it  was  weary  and  downcast. 

Towards  morning  the  wild  ducks  flew  up,  and 
looked  at  their  new  companion. 

"  What  sort  of  a  one  are  you  ?  "  they  asked ;  and 
the  Duckling  turned  in  every  direction,  and  bowed 
as  well  as  it  could.  "  You  are  remarkably  ugly !  " 
said  the  Wild  Ducks.  "  But  that  is  nothing  to  us, 
so  long  as  you  do  not  marry  into  our  family." 

Poor  thing!  it  certainly  did  not  think  of  marry- 
ing, and  only  hoped  to  obtain  leave  to  lie  among  the 
reeds  and  drink  some  of  the  swamp  water. 

Thus  it  lay  two  whole  days;  then  came  thither 
two  wild  geese,  or,  properly  speaking,  two  wild 
ganders.  It  was  not  long  since  each  had  crept  out 
of  an  Q^g,  and  that's  why  they  were  so  saucy. 

"  Listen,  comrade,'*  said  one  of  them.  *'  You're 
so  ugly  that  I  like  you.  Will  you  go  with  us,  and 
become  a  bird  of  passage?  Near  here,  in  another 
moor,  there  are  a  few  sweet  lovely  wild  geese,  all 
unmarried,  and  all  able  to  say  *Rap!'  You've  a 
chance  of  making  your  fortune,  ugly  as  you  are." 

"  Piff !  paff !  "  resounded  through  the  air ;  and  the 
two  ganders  fell  down  dead  in  the  swamp,  and  the 
water  became  blood  red.  "  Piff !  paff !  "  it  sounded 
again,  and  the  whole  flock  of  wild  geese  rose  up 
from  the  reeds.  And  then  there  was  another  report. 
A  great  hunt  was  going  on.     The  sportsmen  were 


The  Ugly  Duckling  287 

lying  in  wait  all  round  the  moor,  and  some  were 
even  sitting  up  in  the  branches  of  the  trees,  which 
spread  far  over  the  reeds.  The  blue  smoke  rose  up 
like  clouds  among  the  dark  trees,  and  was  wafted  far 
away  across  the  water ;  and  the  hunting  dogs  came — 
splash,  splash ! — into  the  swamp,  and  the  rushes  and 
the  reeds  bent  down  on  every  side.  That  was  a  fright 
for  the  poor  Duckling!  It  turned  its  head,  and  put 
it  under  its  wing;  but  at  that  moment  a  frightful 
great  dog  stood  close  by  the  Duckling.  His  tongue 
hung  far  out  of  his  mouth,  and  his  eyes  gleamed  hor- 
rible and  ugly ;  he  thrust  out  his  nose  close  against 
the  Duckling,  showed  his  sharp  teeth,  and — splash, 
splash ! — on  he  went,  without  seizing  it. 

"  Oh,  Heaven  be  thanked !  "  sighed  the  Duckling. 
**  I  am  so  ugly  that  even  the  dog  does  not  like  to  bite 
me!" 

And  so  it  lay  quite  quiet,  while  the  shots  rattled 
through  the  reeds  and  gun  after  gun  was  fired.  At 
last,  late  in  the  day,  all  was  still ;  but  the  poor  Duck- 
ling did  not  dare  to  rise  up ;  it  waited  several  hours 
before  it  looked  round,  and  then  hastened  away  out 
of  the  moor  as  fast  as  it  could.  It  ran  on  over  field 
and  meadow;  there  was  such  a  storm  raging  that 
it  was  difficult  to  get  from  one  place  to  another. 

Towards  evening  the  Duck  came  to  a  little  misera- 
ble peasant's  hut.  This  hut  was  so  dilapidated  that 
it  did  not  itself  know  on  which  side  it  should  fall; 
and  that's  why  it  remained  standing.  The  storm 
whistled  round  the  Duckling  in  such  a  way  that  the 
poor  creature  was  obliged  to  sit  down,  to  stand 
against  it;  and  the  wind  blew  worse  and  worse. 
Then  the  Duckling  noticed  that  one  of  the  hinges 


288     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

of  the  door  had  given  way,  and  the  door  hung  so 
slanting  that  the  DuckHng  could  slip  through  the 
crack  into  the  room ;  and  that  is  what  it  did. 

Here  lived  a  woman,  with  her  Cat  and  her  Hen. 
And  the  Cat,  whom  she  called  Sonnie,  could  arch 
his  back  and  purr,  he  could  even  give  out  sparks; 
but  to  make  him  do  it  one  had  to  stroke  his  fur  the 
wrong  way.  The  Hen  had  quite  little,  short  legs, 
and  therefore  she  was  called  Chickabiddy  Short- 
shanks.  She  laid  good  eggs,  and  the  woman  loved 
her  like  her  own  child. 

In  the  morning  the  strange  Duckling  was  at  once 
noticed,  and  the  Cat  began  to  purr  and  the  Hen  to 
cluck. 

''  What's  this  ?  "  said  the  woman,  and  looked  all 
round ;  but  she  could  not  see  well,  and  therefore  she 
thought  the  Duckling  was  a  fat  duck  that  had 
strayed.  "  This  is  a  rare  prize !  "  she  said.  "  Now 
I  shall  have  duck's  eggs.  I  hope  it  is  not  a  drake. 
We  must  try  that." 

And  so  the  Duckling  was  admitted  on  trial  for 
three  weeks;  but  no  eggs  came.  And  the  Cat  was 
master  of  the  House,  and  the  Hen  was  the  lady,  and 
always  said,  "  We  and  the  world !  "  for  she  thought 
they  were  half  the  world,  and  by  far  the  better  half. 

The  Duckling  thought  one  might  have  a  different 
opinion,  but  the  Hen  would  not  allow  it. 

"  Can  you  lay  eggs  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No." 

"  Then  will  you  hold  your  tongue !  " 

And  the  Cat  said,  "  Can  you  curve  your  back,  and 
purr,  and  give  out  sparks  ?  " 

"  No." 


The  Ugly  Duckling  289 

"  Then  you  will  please  have  no  opinion  of  your 
own  when  sensible  folks  are  speaking." 

And  the  Duckling  sat  in  a  corner  and  was  mel- 
ancholy; then  the  fresh  air  and  the  sunshine 
streamed  in ;  and  it  was  seized  with  such  a  strange 
longing  to  swim  on  the  water,  that  it  could  not  help 
telling  the  Hen  of  it. 

''What  are  you  thinking  of?"  cried  the  Hen. 
"  You  have  nothing  to  do,  that's  why  you  have  these 
fancies.    Lay  eggs,  or  purr,  and  they  will  pass  over." 

''  But  it  is  so  charming  to  swim  on  the  water!  " 
said  the  Duckling,  "  so  refreshing  to  let  it  close 
above  one's  head,  and  to  dive  down  to  the  bottom." 

"  Yes,  that  must  be  a  mighty  pleasure,  truly," 
quoth  the  Hen,  "  I  fancy  you  must  have  gone  crazy. 
Ask  the  Cat  about  it — he^s  the  cleverest  animal  I 
know — ask  him  if  he  likes  to  swim  on  the  water,  or 
to  dive  down — I  won't  speak  about  myself.  Ask 
our  mistress,  the  old  woman ;  no  one  in  the  world  is 
cleverer  than  she.  Do  you  think  she  has  any  de- 
sire to  swim,  and  to  let  the  water  close  above  her 
head?" 

"  You  don't  understand  me,"  said  the  Duckling. 

"  We  don't  understand  you  ?  Then  pray  who  is  to 
understand  you?  You  surely  don't  pretend  to  be 
cleverer  than  the  Cat  and  the  woman — I  won't  say 
anything  of  myself.  Don't  be  conceited,  child,  and 
thank  your  Maker  for  all  the  kindness  you  have  re- 
ceived. Did  you  not  get  into  a  warm  room,  and 
have  you  not  fallen  into  company  from  which  you 
may  learn  something  ?  But  you  are  a  chatterer,  and 
it  is  not  pleasant  to  associate  with  you.  You  may 
believe  me,  I  speak  for  your  good.     I  tell  you  dis- 


290     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

agreeable  things,  and  by  that  one  may  always  know 
one's  true  friends !  Only  take  care  that  you  learn  to 
lay  eggs,  or  to  purr,  and  give  out  sparks !  " 

''  I  think  I  will  go  out  into  the  wide  world,"  said 
the  Duckling. 

"  Yes,  do  go,"  replied  the  Hen. 

And  so  the  Duckling  went  away.  It  swam  on  the 
water,  and  dived,  but  it  was  slighted  by  every 
creature  because  of  its  ugliness. 

Now  came  the  autumn.  The  leaves  in  the  forest 
turned  yellow  and  brown ;  the  wind  caught  them  so 
that  they  danced  about,  and  up  in  the  air  it  was  very 
cold.  The  clouds  hung  low,  heavy  with  hail  and 
snow-flakes,  and  on  the  fence  stood  the  raven,  cry- 
ing, "  Croak !  croak !  "  for  mere  cold ;  yes,  it  was 
enough  to  make  one  feel  cold  to  think  of  this.  The 
poor  little  Duckling  certainly  had  not  a  good  time. 
One  evening — the  sun  was  just  setting  in  his  beauty 
— there  came  a  whole  flock  of  great,  handsome  birds 
out  of  the  bushes.  They  were  dazzlingly  white,  with 
long,  flexible  necks — they  were  swans.  They  ut- 
tered a  very  peculiar  cry,  spread  forth  their  glorious 
great  wings,  and  flew  away  from  that  cold  region 
to  warmer  lands,  to  fair  open  lakes.  They  mounted 
so  high,  so  high !  and  the  ugly  Duckling  felt  quite 
strangely  as  it  watched  them.  It  turned  round  and 
round  in  the  water  like  a  wheel,  stretched  out  its 
neck  towards  them,  and  uttered  such  a  strange  loud 
cry  as  frightened  itself.  Oh!  it  could  not  forget 
those  beautiful,  happy  birds ;  and  so  soon  as  it  could 
see  them  no  longer,  it  dived  down  to  the  very  bottom, 
and  when  it  came  up  again  it  was  quite  beside  itself. 
It  knew  not  the  name  of  those  birds^,  and  knew  not 


The  Ugly  Duckling  291 

whither  they  were  flying;  but  it  loved  them  more 
than  it  had  ever  loved  any  one.  It  was  not  at  all 
envious  of  them.  How  could  it  think  of  wishing  to 
possess  such  loveliness  as  they  had  ?  It  would  have 
been  glad  if  only  the  ducks  would  have  endured  its 
company — the  poor,  ugly  creature  ! 

And  the  winter  grew  cold,  very  cold !  The  Duck- 
ling was  forced  to  swim  about  in  the  water,  to  pre- 
vent the  surface  from  freezing  entirely;  but  every 
night  the  hole  in  which  it  swam  about  became 
smaller  and  smaller.  It  froze  so  hard  that  the  icy 
covering  crackled  again ;  and  the  Duckling  was 
obliged  to  use  its  legs  continually  to  prevent  the 
hole  from  freezing  up.  At  last  it  became  exhausted, 
and  lay  quite  still,  and  thus  froze  fast  into  the  ice. 

Early  in  the  morning  a  peasant  came  by,  and  when 
he  saw  what  had  happened,  he  took  his  wooden 
shoe,  broke  the  ice-crust  to  pieces,  and  carried  the 
Duckling  home  to  his  wife.  Then  it  came  to  itself 
again.  The  children  wanted  to  play  with  it ;  but  the 
Duckling  thought  they  wanted  to  hurt  it,  and  in  its 
terror  fluttered  up  into  the  milk-pan,  so  that  the 
milk  spurted  down  into  the  room.  The  woman 
clasped  her  hands,  at  which  the  Duckling  flew  down 
into  the  butter-tub,  and  then  into  the  meal-barrel  and 
out  again.  How  it  looked  then!  The  woman 
screamed,  and  struck  at  it  with  the  fire-tongs;  the 
children  tumbled  over  one  another  in  their  eflforts  to 
catch  the  Duckling;  and  they  laughed  and  they 
screamed ! — well  it  was  that  the  door  stood  open,  and 
the  poor  creature  was  able  to  slip  out  between  the 
shrubs  into  the  newly-fallen  snow — there  it  lay  quite 
exhausted. 


292     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

But  it  would  be  too  melancholy  if  I  were  to  tell  all 
the  misery  and  care  which  the  Duckling  had  to  en- 
dure in  the  hard  winter.  It  lay  out  on  the  moor 
among  the  reeds,  when  the  sun  began  to  shine  again 
and  the  larks  to  sing.    It  was  a  beautiful  spring. 

Then  all  at  once  the  Duckling  could  flap  its  wings. 
They  beat  the  air  more  strongly  than  before,  and 
bore  it  strongly  away ;  and  before  it  well  knew  how 
all  this  happened,  it  found  itself  in  a  great  garden, 
where  the  elder-trees  smelt  sweet,  and  bent  their 
long  green  branches  down  to  the  canal  that  wound 
through  the  region.  Oh,  here  it  was  so  beautiful, 
such  a  gladness  of  spring !  and  from  the  thicket  came 
three  glorious  white  swans ;  they  rustled  their  wings, 
and  swam  lightly  on  the  water.  The  Duckling  knew 
the  splendid  creatures,  and  felt  oppressed  by  a  pe- 
culiar sadness. 

"  I  will  fly  away  to  them,  to  the  royal  birds,  and 
they  will  beat  me,  because  I,  that  am  so  ugly,  dare  to 
come  near  them.  But  it  is  all  the  same.  Better  to 
be  killed  by  them  than  to  be  pursued  by  ducks,  and 
beaten  by  fowls,  and  pushed  about  by  the  girl  who 
takes  care  of  the  poultry  yard,  and  to  suffer  hunger 
in  winter !  "  And  it  flew  out  into  the  water,  and 
swam  towards  the  beautiful  swans ;  these  looked  at 
it,  and  came  sailing  down  upon  it  with  outspread 
wings.  "  Kill  me !  "  said  the  poor  creature,  and  beiit 
its  head  down  upon  the  water,  expecting  nothing  but 
death.  But  what  was  this  that  it  saw  in  the  clear 
water  ?  It  beheld  its  own  image ;  and,  lo !  it  was  no 
longer  a  clumsy  dark-gray  bird,  ugly  and  hateful 
to  look  at,  but  a  — swan  ! 


The  Ugly  Duckling  293 

It  matters  nothing  if  one  is  born  in  a  duck-yard 
if  one  has  only  lain  in  a  swan's  tgg. 

It  felt  quite  glad  at  all  the  need  and  misfortune 
it  had  suffered,  now  it  realised  its  happiness  in  all  the 
splendour  that  surrounded  it.  And  the  great  swans 
swam  round  it,  and  stroked  it  with  their  beaks. 

Into  the  garden  came  little  children,  who  threw 
bread  and  corn  into  the  water;  and  the  youngest 
cried,  "  There  is  a  new  one !  "  and  the  other  children 
shouted  joyously,  ''Yes,  a  new  one  has  arrived!" 
And  they  clapped  their  hands  and  danced  about,  and 
ran  to  their  father  and  mother ;  and  bread  and  cake 
were  thrown  into  the  water ;  and  they  all  said,  *'  The 
new  one  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all !  so  young  and 
handsome !  "  and  the  old  swans  bowed  their  heads 
before  him.  Then  he  felt  quite  ashamed,  and  hid  his 
head  under  his  wings,  for  he  did  not  know  what  to 
do ;  he  was  so  happy,  and  yet  not  at  all  proud.  He 
thought  how  he  had  been  persecuted  and  despised; 
and  now  he  heard  them  saying  that  he  was  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  birds.  Even  the  elder-tree  bent  its 
branches  straight  down  into  the  water  before  him, 
and  the  sun  shone  warm  and  mild.  Then  his  wings 
rustled,  he  lifted  his  slender  neck,  and  cried  rejoic- 
ingly from  the  depths  of  his  heart : 

"  I  never  dreamed  of  so  much  happiness  when  I 
was  the  Ugly  Duckling!  " 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE   LIGHT   PRINCESS 


What!    No  Children r 

Once  upon  a  time,  so  long  ago  that  I  have  quite 
forgotten  the  date,  there  lived  a  king  and  queen  who 
had  no  children. 

And  the  king  said  to  himself,  "  All  the  queens  of 
my  acquaintance  have  children,  some  three,  some 
seven,  and  some  as  many  as  twelve;  and  my  queen 
has  not  one.  I  fell  ill-used,"  So  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  cross  with  his  wife  about  it.  But  she 
bore  it  all  like  a  good  patient  queen  as  she  was. 
Then  the  king  grew  very  cross  indeed.  But  the 
queen  pretended  to  take  it  all  as  a  joke,  and  a  very 
good  one  too. 

"  Why  don't  you  have  any  daughters,  at  least  ?  " 
said  he.  ''  I  don't  say  sons;  that  might  be  too  much 
to  expect." 

"  I  am  sure,  dear  king,  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  the 
queen. 

''So  you  ought  to  be,"  retorted  the  king;  "you 
are  not  going  to  make  a  virtue  of  that,  surely." 


The  Light  Princess  295 

But  he  was  not  an  ill-tempered  king,  and  in  any 
matter  of  less  moment  would  have  let  the  queen 
have  her  own  way  with  all  his  heart.  This,  however, 
was  an  affair  of  State. 

The  queen  smiled. 

"  You  must  have  patience  with  a  lady,  you  know, 
dear  king,"  said  she. 

She  was,  indeed,  a  very  nice  queen,  and  heartily 
sorry  that  she  could  not  oblige  the  king  immediately. 

The  king  tried  to  have  patience,  but  he  succeeded 
very  badly.  It  was  more  than  he  deserved,  therefore, 
when,  at  last,  the  queen  gave  him  a  daughter — as 
lovely  a  little  princess  as  ever  cried. 


n 

Won't  I,  Just? 

The  day  drew  near  when  the  infant  must  be 
christened.  The  king  wrote  all  the  invitations  with 
his  own  hand.    Of  course  somebody  was  forgotten. 

Now  it  does  not  generally  matter  if  somebody  is 
forgotten,  only  you  must  mind  who.  Unfortunately, 
the  king  forgot  without  intending  to  forget ;  and  so 
the  chance  fell  upon  the  Princess  Makemnoit,  which 
was  awkward.  For  the  princess  was  the  king's  own 
sister ;  and  he  ought  not  to  have  forgotten  her.  But 
she  had  made  herself  so  disagreeable  to  the  old  king, 
their  father,  that  he  had  forgotten  her  in  making 
his  will;  and  so  it  was  no  wonder  that  her  brother 
forgot  her  in  writing  his  invitations.  But  poor  re- 
lations don't  do  anything  to  keep  you  in  mind  of 


296     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

them.  Why  don't  they?  The  king  could  not  see 
into  the  garret  she  Hved  in,  could  he  ? 

She  was  a  sour,  spiteful  creature.  The  wrinkles 
of  contempt  crossed  the  wrinkles  of  peevishness,  and 
made  her  face  as  full  of  wrinkles  as  a  pat  of  butter. 
If  ever  a  king  could  be  justified  in  forgetting  any- 
body, this  king  was  justified  in  forgetting  his  sister, 
even  at  a  christening.  She  looked  very  odd,  too. 
Her  forehead  was  as  large  as  all  the  rest  of  her  face, 
and  projected  over  it  like  a  precipice.  When  she 
was  angry,  her  little  eyes  flashed  blue.  When  she 
hated  anybody,  they  shone  yellow  and  green.  What 
they  looked  like  when  she  loved  anybody,  I  do  not 
know ;  for  I  never  heard  of  her  loving  anybody  but 
herself,  and  I  do  not  think  she  could  ha\^  man- 
aged that  if  she  had  not  somehow  got  used  to  herself. 
But  what  made  it  highly  imprudent  in  the  king  to 
forget  her  was — that  she  was  awfully  clever.  In 
fact,  she  was  a  witch ;  and  when  she  bewitched  any- 
body, he  very  soon  had  enough  of  it ;  for  she  beat 
all  the  wicked  fairies  in  wickedness,  and  all  the 
clever  ones  in  cleverness.  She  despised  all  the  modes 
we  read  of  in  history,  in  which  offended  fairies  and 
witches  have  taken  their  revenges;  and  therefore, 
after  waiting  and  waiting  in  vain  for  an  invitation, 
she  made  up  her  mind  at  last  to  go  without  one,  and 
make  the  whole  family  miserable,  like  a  princess  as 
she  was. 

So  she  put  on  her  best  gown,  went  to  the  palace, 
was  kindly  received  by  the  happy  monarch,  who  for- 
got that  he  had  forgotten  her,  and  took  her  place  in 
the  procession  to  the  royal  chapel.  When  they  were 
all  gathered  about  the  font,  she  contrived  to  get  next 


The  Light  Princess  297 

to  it,  and  throw  something  into  the  water;  after 
which  she  maintained  a  very  respectful  demeanour 
till  the  water  was  applied  to  the  child's  face.  But  at 
that  moment  she  turned  round  in  her  place  three 
times,  and  muttered  the  following  words,  loud 
enough  for  those  beside  her  to  hear : 

"  Light  of  spirit,  by  my  charms, 
Light  of  body,  every  part. 
Never  weary  human  arms — 
Only  crush  thy  parents'  heart !  " 

They  all  thought  she  had  lost  her  wits,  and  was 
repeating  some  foolish  nursery  rhyme ;  but  a  shud- 
der went  through  the  whole  of  them  notwithstand- 
ing. The  baby,  on  the  contrary,  began  to  laugh  and 
crow ;  while  the  nurse  gave  a  start  and  a  smothered 
cry,  for,  she  thought  she  was  struck  with  paralysis : 
she  could  not  feel  the  baby  in  her  arms.  But  she 
clasped  it  tight  and  said  nothing. 

The  mischief  was  done. 


Ill 

She  Can't  Be  Ours! 

Her  atrocious  aunt  had  deprived  the  child  of  all 
her  gravity.  If  you  ask  me  how  this  was  effected,  I 
answer,  "  In  the  easiest  way  in  the  world.  She 
had  only  to  destroy  gravitation."  For  the  princess 
was  a  philosopher,  and  knew  all  the  ins  and  outs  of 
the  laws  of  gravitation  as  well  as  the  ins  and  outs 
of  her  boot-lace.     And  being  a  witch  as  well,  she 


298     Fairy  Talcs  Every  Child  Should  Know 

could  abrogate  those  laws  in  a  moment;  or  at  least 
so  clog  their  wheels  and  rust  their  bearings  that 
they  would  not  work  at  all.  But  we  have  more  to  do 
with  what  followed  than  with  how  it  was  done. 

The  first  awkwardness  that  resulted  from  this  un- 
happy privation  was,  that  the  moment  the  nurse  be- 
gan to  float  the  baby  up  and  down,  she  flew  from 
her  arms  towards  the  ceiling.  Happily,  the  resist- 
ance of  the  air  brought  her  ascending  career  to  a 
close  within  a  foot  of  it.  There  she  remained,  hori- 
zontal as  when  she  left  her  nurse's  arms,  kicking  and 
laughing  amazingly.  The  nurse  in  terror  flew  to  the 
bell,  and  begged  the  footman,  who  answered  it,  to 
bring  up  the  house-steps  directly.  Trembling  in 
every  limb,  she  climbed  upon  the  steps,  and  had  to 
stand  upon  the  very  top,  and  reach  up,  before  she 
could  catch  the  floating  tail  of  the  baby's  long 
clothes. 

When  the  strange  fact  came  to  be  known,  there 
was  a  terrible  commotion  in  the  palace.  The  occa- 
sion of  its  discovery  by  the  king  was  naturally  a 
repetition  of  the  nurse's  experience.  Astonished  that 
he  felt  no  weight  when  the  child  was  laid  in  his 
arms,  he  began  to  wave  her  up  and — not  down ;  for 
she  slowly  ascended  to  the  ceiling  as  before,  and 
there  remained  floating  in  perfect  comfort  and  satis- 
faction, as  was  testified  by  her  peals  of  tiny  laughter. 
The  king  stood  staring  up  in  speechless  amazement, 
and  trembled  so  that  his  beard  shook  like  grass  in  the 
wind.  At  last,  turning  to  the  queen,  who  was  just  as 
horror-struck  as  himself,  he  said,  gasping,  staring, 
and  stammering : 

*'  She  cant  be  ours,  queen !  "   , 


The  Light  Princess  299 

Now  the  queen  was  much  cleverer  than  the  king, 
and  had  begun  already  to  suspect  that  "  this  effect 
defective  came  by  cause." 

"  I  am  sure  she  is  ours,"  answered  she.  "  But  we 
ought  to  have  taken  better  care  of  her  at  the  christ- 
ening. People  who  were  never  invited  ought  not  to 
have  been  present." 

"  Oh,  ho !  "  said  the  king,  tapping  his  forehead 
with  his  forefinger,  *'  I  have  it  all.  I've  found  her 
out.  Don't  you  see  it,  queen  ?  Princess  Makemnoit 
has  bewitched  her." 

"  That's  just  what  I  say,"  answered  the  queen. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  love ;  I  did  not  hear  you. 
John !  bring  the  steps  I  get  on  my  throne  with." 

For  he  was  a  little  king  with  a  great  throne,  like 
many  other  kings. 

The  throne-steps  were  brought,  and  set  upon  the 
dining-table,  and  John  got  upon  the  top  of  them. 
But  he  could  not  reach  the  little  princess,  who  lay 
like  a  baby-laughter-cloud  in  the  air,  exploding  con- 
tinuously. 

"  Take  the  tongs,  John,"  said  his  Majesty ;  and 
getting  up  on  the  table,  he  handed  them  to  him. 

John  could  reach  the  baby  now,  and  the  little 
princess  was  handed  down  by  the  tongs. 


IV 

Where  Is  She? 

One  fine  summer  day,  a  month  after  these  her 
first  adventures,  during  which  time  she  had  been 


300     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

very  carefully  watched,  the  princess  was  lying  on 
the  bed  in  the  queen's  own  chamber,  fast  asleep. 
One  of  the  windows  was  open,  for  it  was  noon,  and 
the  day  was  so  sultry  that  the  little  girl  was  wrapped 
in  nothing  less  ethereal  than  slumber  itself.  The 
queen  came  into  the  room,  and  not  observing  that 
the  baby  was  on  the  bed,  opened  another  window. 
A  frolicsome  fairy  wind,  which  had  been  watching 
for  a  chance  of  mischief,  rushed  in  at  the  one  win- 
dow, and  taking  its  way  over  the  bed  where  the 
child  was  lying,  caught  her  up,  and  rolling  and  float- 
ing her  along  like  a  piece  of  flue,  or  a  dandelion  seed, 
carried  her  with  it  through  the  opposite  window,  and 
away.  The  queen  went  down-stairs,  quite  ignorant 
of  the  loss  she  had  herself  occasioned. 

When  the  nurse  returned,  she  supposed  that  her 
Majesty  had  carried  her  oflf,  and,  dreading  a  scold- 
ing, delayed  making  inquiry  about  her.  But  hearing 
nothing,  she  grew  uneasy,  and  went  at  length  to  the 
queen's  boudoir,  where  she  found  her  Majesty. 

''Please,  your  Majesty,  shall  I  take  the  baby?" 
said  she. 

"  Where  is  she?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"  Please  forgive  me.    I  know  it  was  wrong." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  the  queen,  looking 
grave. 

'*  Oh !  don't  frighten  me,  your  Majesty !  "  ex- 
claimed the  nurse,  clasping  her  hands. 

The  queen  saw  that  something  was  amiss,  and  fell 
down  in  a  faint.  The  nurse  rushed  about  the  palace, 
screaming,  **  My  baby !  my  baby !  " 

Every  one  ran  to  the  queen's  room.  But  the  queen 
could  give  no  orders.     They  soon  found  out,  how- 


The  Light  Princess  301 

ever,  that  the  princess  was  missing-,  and  in  a  moment 
the  palace  was  like  a  beehive  in  a  garden ;  and  in  one 
minute  more  the  queen  was  brought  to  herself  by  a 
great  shout  and  a  clapping  of  hands.  They  had 
found  the  princess  fast  asleep  under  a  rose-bush,  to 
which  the  elfish  little  wind-pufif  had  carried  her,  fin- 
ishing its  michief  by  shaking  a  shower  of  red  rose- 
leaves  all  over  the  little  white  sleeper.  Startled  by 
the  noise  the  servants  made,  she  woke,  and,  furious 
with  glee,  scattered  the  rose-leaves  in  all  directions, 
like  a  shower  of  spray  in  the  sunset. 

She  was  watched  more  carefully  after  this,  no 
doubt;  yet  it  would  be  endless  to  relate  all  the  odd 
incidents  resulting  from  this  peculiarity  of  the  young 
princess.  But  there  never  was  a  baby  in  a  house, 
not  to  say  a  palace,  that  kept  the  household  in  such 
constant  good  humour,  at  least  below-stairs.  If  it 
was  not  easy  for  her  nurses  to  hold  her,  at  least  she 
made  neither  their  arms  nor  their  hearts  ache.  And 
she  was  so  nice  to  play  at  ball  with !  There  was 
positively  no  danger  of  letting  her  fall.  They  might 
throw  her  down,  or  knock  her  down,  or  push  her 
down,  but  they  couldn't  let  her  down.  It  is  true, 
they  might  let  her  fly  into  the  fire  or  the  coal-hole, 
or  through  the  window ;  but  none  of  these  accidents 
had  happened  as  yet.  If  you  heard  peals  of  laughter 
resounding  from  some  unknown  region,  you  might 
be  sure  enough  of  the  cause.  Going  down  into  the 
kitchen,  or  the  room,  you  would  find  Jane  and 
Thomas,  and  Robert  and  Susan,  all  and  sum,  play- 
ing at  ball  with  the  little  princess.  She  was  the 
ball  herself,  and  did  not  enjoy  it  the  less  for  that. 
Away  she  went,  flying  from  one  to  another,  screech- 


302     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

ing  with  laughter.  And  the  servants  loved  the  ball 
itself  better  even  than  the  game.  But  they  had  to 
take  some  care  how  they  threw  her,  for  if  she  re- 
ceived an  upward  direction,  she  would  never  come 
down  again  without  being  fetched. 


What  Is  to  Be  Done? 

But  above-stairs  it  was  different.  One  day,  for 
instance,  after  breakfast,  the  king  went  into  his 
counting-house,  and  counted  out  his  money. 

The  operation  gave  him  no  pleasure. 

*'  To  think,"  said  he  to  himself,  ''  that  every  one  of 
these  gold  sovereigns  weighs  a  quarter  of  an  ounce, 
and  my  real,  live,  flesh-and-blood  princess  weighs 
nothing  at  all !  " 

And  he  hated  his  gold  sovereigns,  as  they  lay  with 
a  broad  smile  of  self-satisfaction  all  over  their  yel- 
low faces. 

The  queen  was  in  the  parlour,  eating  bread  and 
honey.  But  at  the  second  mouthful  she  burst  out 
crying,  and  could  not  swallow  it.  The  king  heard 
her  sobbing.  Glad  of  anybody,  but  especially  of  his 
queen,  to  quarrel  with,  he  clashed  his  gold  sovereigns 
into  his  money-box,  clapped  his  crown  on  his  head, 
and  rushed  into  the  parlour. 

"  What  is  all  this  about  ?  "  exclaimed  he.  ''  What 
are  you  crying  for,  queen  ?  " 

'*  I  can't  eat  it,"  said  the  queen,  looking  ruefully  at 
the  honey-pot. 


The  Light  Princess  303 

"  No  wonder !  "  retorted  the  king.  "  YouVe  just 
eaten  your  breakfast — two  turkey  eggs,  and  three 
anchovies." 

''  Oh,  that's  not  it !  "  sobbed  her  Majesty.  ''  It's 
my  child,  my  child !  " 

"  Well,  what's  the  matter  with  your  child  ?  She's 
neither  up  the  chimney  nor  down  the  draw-well. 
Just  hear  her  laughing." 

Yet  the  king  could  not  help  a  sigh,  which  he  tried 
to  turn  into  a  cough,  saying: 

"  It  is  a  good  thing  to  be  light-hearted,  I  am  sure, 
whether  she  be  ours  or  not." 

"  It  is  a  bad  thing  to  be  light-headed,"  answered 
the  queen,  looking  with  prophetic  soul  far  into  the 
future. 

"  'T  is  a  good  thing  to  be  light-handed,"  said  the 
king. 

"  'T  is  a  bad  thing  to  be  light-fingered,"  answered 
the  queen. 

"  'T  is  a  good  thing  to  be  light-footed,"  said  the 
king. 

"  'T  is  a  bad  thing —  "  began  the  queen ;  but  the 
king  interrupted  her. 

"  In  fact,"  said  he,  with  the  tone  of  one  who  con- 
cludes an  argument  in  which  he  has  had  only  imag- 
inary opponents,  and  in  which,  therefore,  he  has 
come  off  triumphant — "  in  fact,  it  is  a  good  thing 
altogether  to  be  light-bodied." 

"  But  it  is  a  bad  thing  altogether  to  be  light- 
minded,"  retorted  the  queen,  who  was  beginning  to 
lose  her  temper. 

This  last  answer  quite  discomfited  his  Majesty, 
who  turned  on  his  heel,  and  betook  himself  to  his 


304     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

counting-house  again.  But  he  was  not  half-way 
towards  it,  when  the  voice  of  his  queen  overtook 
him. 

**  And  it's  a  bad  thing  to  be  Hght-haired," 
screamed  she,  determined  to  have  more  last  words, 
now  that  her  spirit  was  roused. 

The  queen's  hair  was  black  as  night;  and  the 
king's  had  been,  and  his  daughter's  was,  golden  as 
morning.  But  it  was  not  this  reflection  on  his  hair 
that  arrested  him ;  it  was  the  double  use  of  the  word 
light.  For  the  king  hated  all  witticisms,  and  pun- 
ning especially.  And  besides,  he  could  not  tell 
whether  the  queen  meant  Wghi-haired  or  light- 
heired;  for  why  might  she  not  aspirate  her  vowels 
when  she  was  exasperated  herself  ? 

He  turned  upon  his  other  heel,  and  rejoined  her. 
She  looked  angry  still,  because  she  knew  that  she 
was  guilty,  or,  what  was  much  the  same,  knew  that 
he  thought  so. 

''  My  dear  queen,"  said  he,  "  duplicity  of  any  sort 
is  exceedingly  objectionable  between  married  people 
of  any  rank,  not  to  say  kings  and  queens ;  and  the 
most  objectionable  form  duplicity  can  assume  is  that 
of  punning." 

**  There!  "  said  the  queen,  ''  I  never  made  a  jest, 
but  I  broke  it  in  the  making.  I  am  the  most  un- 
fortunate woman  in  the  world !  " 

She  looked  so  rueful  that  the  king  took  her  in  his 
arms ;  and  they  sat  down  to  consult. 

"  Can  you  bear  this  ?  "  said  the  king. 

"  No,  I  can't,"  said  the  queen. 

"  Well,  what's  to  be  done  ?  "  said  the  king. 


The  Light  Princess  305 

"  Vm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  the  queen.  "  But 
might  you  not  try  an  apolog>^  ?  " 

"  To  my  old  sister,  I  suppose  you  mean?  "  said  the 
king. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  queen. 

"  Well,  I  don't  mind,"  said  the  king. 

So  he  went  the  next  morning  to  the  house  of  the 
princess,  and,  making  a  very  humble  apology, 
begged  her  to  undo  the  spell.  But  the  princess  de- 
clared, with  a  grave  face,  that  she  knew  nothing  at 
all  about  it.  Her  eyes,  however,  shone  pink,  which 
was  a  sign  that  she  was  happy.  She  advised  the 
king  and  queen  to  have  patience,  and  to  mend  their 
ways.  The  king  returned  disconsolate.  The  queen 
tried  to  comfort  him. 

''  We  will  wait  till  she  is  older.  She  may  then 
be  able  to  suggest  something  herself.  She  will  know 
at  least  how  she  feels,  and  explain  things  to  us." 

"  But  what  if  she  should  marry  ?  "  exclaimed  the 
king,  in  sudden  consternation  at  the  idea. 

"  Well,  what  of  that?  "  rejoined  the  queen. 

''  Just  think !  If  she  were  to  have  children !  In 
the  course  of  a  hundred  years  the  air  might  be  as 
full  of  floating  children  as  of  gossamers  in  autumn." 

"  That  is  no  business  of  ours,"  replied  the  queen. 
"  Besides,  by  that  time  they  will  have  learned  to  take 
care  of  themselves." 

A  sigh  was  the  king's  only  answer. 

He  would  have  consulted  the  court  physicians; 
but  he  was  afraid  they  would  try  experiments  upon 
her. 


3o6     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

VI 

She  Laitghs  Too  Much 

Meantime, notwithstanding  awkward  occurrences, 
and  griefs  that  she  brought  upon  her  parents,  the 
little  princess  laughed  and  grew — not  fat,  but  plump 
and  tall.  She  reached  the  age  of  seventeen,  without 
having  fallen  into  any  worse  scrape  than  a  chimney ; 
by  rescuing  her  from  which,  a  little  bird-nesting 
urchin  got  fame  and  a  black  face.  Nor,  thoughtless 
as  she  was,  had  she  committed  anything  worse  than 
laughter  at  everybody  and  everything  that  came  in 
her  way.  When  she  was  told,  for  the  sake  of  experi- 
ment, that  General  Clanrunfort  was  cut  to  pieces  with 
all  his  troops,  she  laughed ;  when  she  heard  that  the 
enemy  was  on  his  way  to  besiege  her  father's  capital, 
she  laughed  hugely ;  but  when  she  was  told  that  the 
city  would  certainly  be  abandoned  to  the  mercy  of 
the  enemy's  soldiery — why,  then  she  laughed  im- 
moderately. She  never  could  be  brought  to  see  the 
serious  side  of  anything.  When  her  mother  cried, 
she  said : 

''  What  queer  faces  mamma  makes !  And  she 
squeezes  water  out  of  her  cheeks  !    Funny  mamma !  '^ 

And  when  her  papa  stormed  at  her,  she  laughed, 
and  danced  round  and  round  him,  clapping  her 
hands,  and  crying: 

*'  Do  it  again,  papa.  Do  it  again !  It's  such  fun  1 
Dear,  funny  papa  !  " 

And  if  he  tried  to  catch  her,  she  glided  from  him 
in  an  instant,  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  him,  but 


d 


The  Light  Princess  307 

thinking  it  part  of  the  game  not  to  be  caught.  With 
one  push  of  her  foot,  she  would  be  floating  in  the  air 
above  his  head ;  or  she  would  go  dancing  backwards 
and  forwards  and  sideways,  like  a  great  butterfly. 
It  happened  several  times,  when  her  father  and 
mother  were  holding  a  consultation  about  her  in  pri- 
vate, that  they  were  interrupted  by  vainly  repressed 
outbursts  of  laughter  over  their  heads;  and  look- 
ing up  with  indignation,  saw  her  floating  at  full 
length  in  the  air  above  them,  whence  she  regarded 
them  with  the  most  comical  appreciation  of  the  posi- 
tion. 

One  day  an  awkward  accident  happened.  The 
princess  had  come  out  upon  the  lawn  with  one  of 
her  attendants,  who  held  her  by  the  hand.  Spying 
her  father  at  the  other  side  of  the  lawn,  she  snatched 
her  hand  from  the  maid's,  and  sped  across  to  him. 
Now  when  she  wanted  to  run  alone,  her  custom  was 
to  catch  up  a  stone  in  each  hand,  so  that  she  might 
come  down  again  after  a  bound.  Whatever  she 
wore  as  part  of  her  attire  had  no  eflfect  in  this  way. 
Even  gold,  when  it  thus  became  as  it  were  a  part 
of  herself,  lost  all  its  weight  for  the  time.  But 
whatever  she  only  held  in  her  hands  retained  its 
downward  tendency.  On  this  occasion  she  could 
see  nothing  to  catch  up  but  a  huge  toad,  that  was 
walking  across  the  lawn  as  if  he  had  a  hundred 
years  to  do  it  in.  Not  knowing  what  disgust  meant, 
for  this  was  one  of  her  peculiarities,  she  snatched 
up  the  toad  and  bounded  away.  She  had  almost 
reached  her  father,  and  he  was  holding  out  his  arms 
to  receive  her,  and  take  from  her  lips  the  kiss  which 
hovered  on  them  like  a  butterfly  on  a  rosebud,  when 


3o8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

a  puff  of  wind  blew  her  aside  into  the  arms  of  a 
young  page,  who  had  just  been  receiving  a  message 
from  his  Majesty.  Now  it  was  no  great  pecuHarity 
in  the  princess  that,  once  she  was  set  agoing,  it  al- 
ways cost  her  time  and  trouble  to  check  herself.  On 
this  occasion  there  was  no  time.  She  must  kiss — 
and  she  kissed  the  page.  She  did  not  mind  it  much ; 
for  she  had  no  shyness  in  her  composition ;  and  she 
knew,  besides,  that  she  could  not  help  it.  So  she 
only  laughed,  like  a  musical  box.  The  poor  page 
fared  the  worst.  For  the  princess,  trying  to  correct 
the  unfortunate  tendency  of  the  kiss,  put  out  her 
hands  to  keep  off  the  page ;  so  that,  along  with  the 
kiss,  he  received,  on  the  other  cheek,  a  slap  with  the 
huge  black  toad,  which  she  poked  right  into  his  eye. 
He  tried  to  laugh,  too,  but  the  attempt  resulted  in 
such  an  odd  contortion  of  countenance,  as  showed 
that  there  was  no  danger  of  his  pluming  himself 
on  the  kiss.  As  for  the  king,  his  dignity  was  greatly 
hurt,  and  he  did  not  speak  to  the  page  for  a  whole 
month. 

I  may  here  remark  that  it  was  very  amusing  to  see 
her  run,  if  her  mode  of  progression  could  properly 
be  called  running.  For  first  she  would  make  a 
bound ;  then,  having  alighted,  she  would  run  a  few 
steps,  and  make  another  bound.  Sometimes  she 
would  fancy  she  had  reached  the  ground  before  she 
actually  had,  and  her  feet  would  go  backwards  and 
forwards,  running  upon  nothing  at  all,  like  those  of 
a  chicken  on  its  back.  Then  she  would  laugh  like 
the  very  spirit  of  fun ;  only  in  her  laugh  there  was 
something  missing.  What  it  was,  I  find  myself  un- 
able to  describe.     I  think  it  was  a  certain  tone,  de- 


The  Light  Princess  309 

pending  upon  the  possibility  of  sorrow — morhide::za, 
perhaps.    She  never  smiled. 


VII 

Try  Metaphysics 

After  a  long  avoidance  of  the  painful  subject, 
the  king  and  queen  resolved  to  hold  a  council  of 
three  upon  it ;  and  so  they  sent  for  the  princess.  In 
she  came,  sliding  and  flitting  and  gliding  from  one 
piece  of  furniture  to  another,  and  put  herself  at 
last  in  an  arm-chair,  in  a  sitting  posture.  Whether 
she  could  be  said  to  sit,  seeing  she  received  no  sup- 
port from  the  seat  of  the  chair,  I  do  not  pretend  to 
determine. 

''  My  dear  child,"  said  the  king,  "  you  must  be 
aware  by  this  time  that  you  are  not  exactly  like  other 
people." 

"  Oh,  you  dear  funny  papa !  I  have  got  a  nose, 
and  two  eyes,  and  all  the  rest.  So  have  you.  So 
has  mamma." 

''  Now  be  serious,  my  dear,  for  once,"  said  the 
queen. 

*'  No,  thank  you,  mamma ;  I  had  rather  not." 

''  Would  you  not  like  to  be  able  to  walk  like 
other  people  ?  "  said  the  king. 

"  No  indeed,  I  should  think  not.  You  only  crawl. 
You  are  such  slow  coaches !  " 

''  How  do  you  feel,  my  child  ?  "  he  resumed,  after 
a  pause  of  discomfiture. 

"  Quite  well,  thank  you." 


3IO     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

"  I  mean,  what  do  you  feel  like  ?  " 

"  Like  nothing  at  all,  that  I  know  of." 

*'  You  must  feel  like  something." 

"  I  feel  like  a  princess  with  such  a  funny  papa, 
and  such  a  dear  pet  of  a  queen-mamma !  " 

"  Now  really!  "  began  the  queen;  but  the  princess 
interrupted  her. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  added,  ''  I  remember.  I  have  a 
curious  feeling  sometimes,  as  if  I  were  the  only 
person  that  had  any  sense  in  the  whole  world." 

She  had  been  trying  to  behave  herself  with  dig- 
nity ;  but  now  she  burst  into  a  violent  fit  of  laughter, 
threw  herself  backwards  over  the  chair,  and  went 
rolling  about  the  floor  in  an  ecstasy  of  enjoyment. 
The  king  picked  her  up  easier  than  one  does  a  down 
quilt,  and  replaced  her  in  her  former  relation  to  the 
chair.  The  exact  preposition  expressing  this  rela- 
tion I  do  not  happen  to  know. 

"  Is  there  nothing  you  wish  for  ?  "  resumed  the 
king,  who  had  learned  by  this  time  that  it  was  use- 
less to  be  angry  with  her. 

"  Oh,  you  dear  papa ! — yes,"  answered  she. 

"  What  is  it,  my  darling?  " 

"  I  have  been  longing  for  it — oh,  such  a  time ! — 
ever  since  last  night." 

"  Tell  me  what  it  is." 

''  Will  you  promise  to  let  me  have  it  ?  " 

The  king  was  on  the  point  of  saying  yes,  but  the 
wiser  queen  checked  him  with  a  single  motion  of  her 
head. 

"  Tell  me  what  it  is  first,"  said  he. 

"  No,  no.     Promise  first." 

''  I  dare  not.    What  is  it  ?  " 


The  Light  Princess  311 

"  Mind,  I  hold  you  to  your  promise.  It  is — to  be 
tied  to  the  end  of  a  string — a  very  long  string  in- 
deed, and  be  flown  like  a  kite.  Oh,  such  fun !  I 
would  rain  rose-water,  and  hail  sugar-plums,  and 
snow  whipped-cream,  and — and — and —  " 

A  fit  of  laughing  checked  her;  and  she  would 
have  been  off  again  over  the  floor,  had  not  the  king 
started  up  and  caught  her  just  in  time.  Seeing  that 
nothing  but  talk  could  be  got  out  of  her,  he  rang 
the  bell,  and  sent  her  away  with  two  of  her  ladies-in- 
waiting. 

''  Now,  queen,"  he  said,  turning  to  her  Majesty, 
"  what  is  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  There  is  but  one  thing  left,"  answered  she. 
*'  Let  us  consult  the  college  of  Metaphysicians." 

'*  Bravo!  "  cried  the  king;  *'  we  will." 

Now  at  the  head  of  this  college  were  two  very 
wise  Chinese  philosophers — by  name  Hum-Drum, 
and  Kopy-Keck.  For  them  the  king  sent;  and 
straightway  they  came.  In  a  long  speech  he  com- 
municated to  them  what  they  knew  very  well  al-* 
ready — as  who  did  not? — namely,  the  peculiar  con- 
dition of  his  daughter  in  relation  to  the  globe  on 
which  she  dwelt ;  and  requested  them  to  consult  to- 
gether as  to  what  might  be  the  cause  and  probable 
cure  of  her  infirmity.  The  king  laid  stress  upon 
the  word,  but  failed  to  discover  his  own  pun.  The 
queen  laughed;  but  Hum-Drum  and  Kopy-Keck 
heard  with  humility  and  retired  in  silence. 

Their  consultation  consisted  chiefly  in  propound- 
ing and  supporting,  for  the  thousandth  time,  each 
his  favourite  theories.  For  the  condition  of  the 
princess  afforded  delightful  scope  for  the  discussion 


312     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

of  every  question  arising  from  the  division  of 
thought — in  fact,  of  all  the  Metaphysics  of  the  Chi- 
nese Empire.  But  it  is  only  justice  to  say  that  they 
did  not  altogether  neglect  the  discussion  of  the 
practical  question,  what  zuas  to  be  done. 

Hum-Drum  was  a  Materialist,  and  Kopy-Keck 
was  a  Spiritualist.  The  former  was  slow  and  sen- 
tentious ;  the  latter  was  quick  and  flighty ;  the  latter 
had  generally  the  first  word ;  the  former  the  last. 

"  I  reassert  my  former  assertion,"  began  Kopy- 
Keck,  with  a  plunge.  ''  There  is  not  a  fault  in  the 
princess,  body  or  soul ;  only  they  are  wrong  put  to- 
gether. Listen  to  me  now,  Hum-Drum,  and  I  will 
tell  you  in  brief  what  I  think.  Don't  speak.  Don't 
answer  me.  I  won't  hear  you  till  I  have  done.  At 
that  decisive  moment,  when  souls  seek  their  ap- 
pointed habitations,  two  eager  souls  met,  struck,  re- 
bounded, lost  their  way,  and  arrived  each  at  the 
wrong  place.  The  soul  of  the  princess  was  one  of 
those,  and  she  went  far  astray.  She  does  not  be- 
long by  rights  to  this  world  at  all,  but  to  some  other 
planet,  probably  Mercury.  Her  proclivity  to  her 
true  sphere  destroys  all  the  natural  influence  which 
this  orb  would  otherwise  possess  over  her  corporeal 
frame.  She  cares  for  nothing  here.  There  is  no 
relation  between  her  and  this  world. 

"  She  must  therefore  be  taught,  by  the  sternest 
compulsion,  to  take  an  interest  in  the  earth  as  the 
earth.  She  must  study  every  department  of  its  his- 
tory— its  animal  history,  its  vegetable  history,  its 
mineral  history,  its  social  history,  its  moral  history, 
its  political  history,  its  scientific  history,  its  literary 
history,   its   musical   history,   its   artistical   history, 


The  Light  Princess  313 

above  all,  its  metaphysical  history.  She  must  begin 
with  the  Chinese  dynasty  and  end  with  Japan.  But 
first  of  all  she  must  study  geology,  and  especially 
the  history  of  the  extinct  races  of  animals — their 
natures,  their  habits,  their  loves,  their  hates,  their 
revenges.     She  must " 

**  Hold,  h-o-o-old !  "  roared  Hum-Drum.  "  It  is 
certainly  my  turn  now.  My  rooted  and  insubverti- 
ble  conviction  is,  that  the  causes  of  the  anomalies 
evident  in  the  princess's  condition  are  strictly  and 
solely  physical.  But  that  is  only  tantamount  to  ac- 
knowledging that  they  exist.  Hear  my  opinion. 
From  some  cause  or  other,  of  no  importance  to  our 
inquiry,  the  motion  of  her  heart  has  been  reversed. 
That  remarkable  combination  of  the  suction  and  the 
force-pump  works  the  wrong  way — I  mean  in  the 
case  of  the  unfortunate  princess,  it  draws  in  where 
it  should  force  out,  and  forces  out  where  it  should 
draw  in.  The  offices  of  the  auricles  and  the  ventri- 
cles are  subverted.  The  blood  is  sent  forth  by  the 
veins,  and  returns  by  the  arteries.  Consequently  it 
is  running  the  wrong  way  through  all  her  corporeal 
organism — lungs  and  all.  Is  it  then  at  all  mysteri- 
ous, seeing  that  such  is  the  case,  that  on  the  other 
particular  of  gravitation  as  well,  she  should  differ 
from  normal  humanity?  My  proposal  for  the  cure 
is  this : 

''  Phlebotomise  until  she  is  reduced  to  the  last 
point  of  safety.  Let  it  be  effected,  if  necessary,  in 
a  warm  bath.  When  she  is  reduced  to  a  state  of 
perfect  asphyxy,  apply  a  ligature  to  the  left  ankle, 
drawing  it  as  tight  as  the  bone  will  bear.  Apply, 
at  the  same  moment,  another  of  equal  tension  around 


314     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

the  right  wrist.  By  means  of  plates  constructed  for 
the  purpose,  place  the  other  foot  and  hand  under 
the  receivers  of  two  air-pumps.  Exhaust  the  re- 
ceivers. Exhibit  a  pint  of  French  brandy,  and  await 
the  result." 

"  Which  would  presently  arrive  in  the  form  of 
grim  Death,"  said  Kopy-Keck. 

"  If  it  should,  she  would  yet  die  in  doing  our 
duty,"  retorted  Hum-Dfum. 

But  their  Majesties  had  too  much  tenderness  for 
their  volatile  offspring  to  subject  her  to  either  of  the 
schemes  of  the  equally  unscrupulous  philosophers. 
Indeed,  the  most  complete  knowledge  of  the  laws 
of  nature  would  have  been  unserviceable  in  her  case ; 
for  it  was  impossible  to  classify  her.  She  was  a 
fifth  imponderable  body,  sharing  all  the  other  prop- 
erties of  the  ponderable. 


VIII 
Try  a  Drop  of  Water 

Perhaps  the  best  thing  for  the  princess  would 
have  been  to  fall  in  love.  But  how  a  princess  who 
had  no  gravity  could  fall  into  anything  is  a  diffi- 
culty— perhaps  the  difficulty.  As  for  her  own  feel- 
ings on  the  subject,  she  did  not  even  know  that  there 
was  such  a  beehive  of  honey  and  stings  to  be  fallen 
into.  But  now  I  come  to  mention  another  curious 
fact  about  her. 

The  palace  was  built  on  the  shores  of  the  loveliest 
lake  in  the  world;  and  the  princess  loved  this  lake 


J 


The  Light  Princess  315 

more  than  father  or  mother.  The  root  of  this  prefer- 
ence no  doubt,  although  the  princess  did  not  recog- 
nise it  as  such,  was,  that  the  moment  she  got  into  it, 
she  recovered  the  natural  right  of  which  she  had  been 
so  wickedly  deprived — namely,  gravity.  Whether 
this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  water  had  been  em- 
ployed as  the  means  of  conveying  the  injury,  I  do 
not  know.  But  it  is  certain  that  she  could  swim  and 
dive  like  the  duck  that  her  old  nurse  said  she  was. 
The  manner  in  which  this  alleviation  of  her  misfor- 
tune was  discovered  was  as  follows : 

One  summer  evening,  during  the  carnival  of  the 
country,  she  had  been  taken  upon  the  lake  by  the 
king  and  queen,  in  the  royal  barge.  They  were  ac- 
companied by  many  of  the  courtiers  in  a  fleet  of  lit- 
tle boats.  In  the  middle  of  the  lake  she  wanted  to 
get  into  the  lord  chancellor's  barge,  for  his  daughter, 
who  was  a  great  favourite  with  her,  was  in  it  with 
her  father.  Now  though  the  old  king  rarely  con- 
descended to  make  light  of  his  misfortune,  yet,  hap- 
pening on  this  occasion  to  be  in  a  particularly  good 
humour,  as  the  barges  approached  each  other,  he 
caught  up  the  princess  to  throw  her  into  the  chan- 
cellor's barge.  He  lost  his  balance,  however,  and, 
dropping  into  the  bottom  of  the  barge,  lost  his  hold 
of  his  daughter;  not,  however,  before  imparting  to 
her  the  downward  tendency  of  his  own  person, 
though  in  a  somewhat  different  direction,  for,  as  the 
king  fell  into  the  boat,  she  fell  into  the  water.  With 
a  burst  of  delighted  laughter  she  disappeared  into 
the  lake.  A  cry  of  horror  ascended  from  the  boats. 
They  had  never  seen  the  princess  go  down  before. 
Half  the  men  were  under  water  in  a  moment;  but 


3i6     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

they  had  all,  one  after  another,  come  up  to  the  sur- 
face again  for  breath,  when — tinkle,  tinkle,  babble, 
and  gnsh !  came  the  princess's  laugh  over  the  water 
from  far  away.  There  she  was,  swimming  like  a 
swan.  Nor  would  she  come  out  for  king  or  queen, 
chancellor  or  daughter.  She  was  perfectly  obstinate. 
But  at  the  same  time  she  seemed  more  sedate  than 
usual.  Perhaps  that  was  because  a  great  pleasure 
spoils  laughing.  At  all  events,  after  this,  the  pas- 
sion of  her  life  was  to  get  into  the  water,  and  she 
was  always  the  better  behaved  and  the  more  beauti- 
ful the  more  she  had  of  it.  Summer  and  winter  it 
was  quite  the  same ;  only  she  could  not  stay  so  long 
in  the  water  when  they  had  to  break  the  ice  to  let 
her  in.  Any  day,  from  morning  to  evening  in  sum- 
mer, she  might  be  descried — a  streak  of  white  in  the 
blue  water — lying  as  still  as  the  shadow  of  a  cloud, 
or  shooting  along  like  a  dolphin ;  disappearing,  and 
coming  up  again  far  off,  just  where  one  did  not  ex- 
pect her.  She  would  have  been  in  the  lake  of  a 
night  too,  if  she  could  have  had  her  way;  for  the 
balcony  of  her  window  overhung  a  deep  pool  in  it ; 
and  through  a  shallow  reedy  passage  she  could  have 
swum  out  into  the  wide  wet  water,  and  no  one  would 
have  been  any  the  wiser.  Indeed,  when  she  hap- 
pened to  wake  in  the  moonlight  she  could  hardly 
resist  the  temptation.  But  there  was  the  sad  diffi- 
culty of  getting  into  it.  She  had  as  great  a  dread 
of  the  air  as  some  children  have  of  the  water.  For 
the  slightest  gust  of  wind  would  blow  her  away; 
and  a  gust  might  arise  in  the  stillest  moment.  And 
if  she  gave  herself  a  push  towards  the  water  and 
just  failed  of  reaching  it,  her  situation  would  be 


The  Light  Princess  317 

dreadfully  awkward,  irrespective  of  the  wind ;  for 
at  best  there  she  would  have  to  remain,  suspended  in 
her  night-gown,  till  she  was  seen  and  angled  for  by 
somebody  from  the  window. 

''  Oh !  if  I  had  my  gravity,"  thought  she,  contem- 
plating the  water,  "  I  would  flash  ofif  this  balcony 
like  a  long  white  sea-bird,  headlong  into  the  darling 
wetness.    Heigh-ho !  " 

This  was  the  only  consideration  that  made  her 
wish  to  be  like  other  people. 

Another  reason  for  her  being  fond  of  the  water 
was  that  in  it  alone  she  enjoyed  any  freedom.  For 
she  could  not  walk  without  a  cortege,  consisting  in 
part  of  a  troop  of  light-horse,  for  fear  of  the  liberties 
which  the  wind  might  take  with  her.  And  the  king 
grew  more  apprehensive  with  increasing  years,  till 
at  last  he  would  not  allow  her  to  walk  abroad  at 
all  without  some  twenty  silken  cords  fastened  to  as 
many  parts  of  her  dress,  and  held  by  twenty  noble- 
men. Of  course  horseback  was  out  of  the  question. 
But  she  bade  good-bye  to  all  this  ceremony  when 
she  got  into  the  water. 

And  so  remarkable  were  its  effects  upon  her,  es- 
pecially in  restoring  her  for  the  time  to  the  ordinary 
human  gravity,  that  Hum-Drum  and  Kopy-Keck 
agreed  in  recommending  the  king  to  bury  her  alive 
for  three  years;  in  the  hope  that,  as  the  water  did 
her  so  much  good,  the  earth  would  do  her  yet  more. 
But  the  king  had  some  vulgar  prejudices  against 
the  experiment,  and  would  not  give  his  consent. 
Foiled  in  this,  they  yet  agreed  in  another  recommen- 
dation ;  which,  seeing  that  one  imported  his  opin- 
ions from  China  and  the  other  from  Thibet,  was 


3i8     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

very  remarkable  indeed.  They  argued  that,  if  water 
of  external  origin  and  application  could  be  so  effica- 
cious, water  from  a  deeper  source  might  work  a  per- 
fect cure ;  in  short,  that  if  the  poor  afflicted  princess 
could  by  any  means  be  made  to  cry,  she  might  re- 
cover her  lost  gravity. 

But  how  was  this  to  be  brought  about?  Therein 
lay  all  the  difficulty — to  meet  which  the  philosophers 
were  not  wise  enough.  To  make  the  princess  cry 
was  as  impossible  as  to  make  her  weigh.  They  sent 
for  a  professional  beggar,  commanded  him  to  pre- 
pare his  most  touching  oracle  of  woe,  helped  him 
out  of  the  court  charade  box  to  whatever  he  wanted 
for  dressing  up,  and  promised  great  rewards  in  the 
event  of  his  success.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  She 
listened  to  the  mendicant  artist's  story,  and  gazed  at 
his  marvellous  make  up,  till  she  could  contain  herself 
no  longer,  and  went  into  the  most  undignified  con- 
tortions for  relief,  shrieking,  positively  screeching 
with  laughter. 

When  she  had  a  little  recovered  herself,  she  or- 
dered her  attendants  to  drive  him  away,  and  not 
give  him  a  single  copper;  whereupon  his  look  of 
mortified  discomfiture  wrought  her  punishment  and 
his  revenge,  for  it  sent  her  into  violent  hysterics, 
from  which  she  was  with  difficulty  recovered. 

But  so  anxious  was  the  king  that  the  suggestion 
should  have  a  fair  trial,  that  he  put  himself  in  a 
rage  one  day,  and,  rushing  up  to  her  room,  gave  her 
an  awful  whipping.  Yet  not  a  tear  would  flow.  She 
looked  grave,  and  her  laughing  sounded  uncom- 
monly like  screaming — that  was  all.  The  good  old 
tyrant,  though  he  put  on  his  best  gold  spectacles  to 


The  Light  Princess  319 

look,  could  not  discover  the  smallest  cloud  in  the 
serene  blue  of  her  eyes. 


IX 
Put  Me  in  Again! 

It  must  have  been  about  this  time  that  the  son  of 
a  king,  who  lived  a  thousand  miles  from  Lagobel, 
set  out  to  look  for  the  daughter  of  a  queen.  He 
travelled  far  and  wide,  but  as  sure  as  he  found  a 
princess,  he  found  some  fault  with  her.  Of  course 
he  could  not  marry  a  mere  woman,  however  beauti- 
ful; and  there  was  no  princess  to  be  found  worthy 
of  him.  Whether  the  prince  was  so  near  perfec- 
tion that  he  had  a  right  to  demand  perfection  itself, 
I  cannot  pretend  to  say.  All  I  know  is,  that  he  was 
a  fine,  handsome,  brave,  generous,  well-bred,  and 
well-behaved  youth,  as  all  princes  are. 

In  his  wanderings  he  had  come  across  some  re- 
ports about  our  princess ;  but  as  everybody  said  she 
was  bewitched,  he  never  dreamed  that  she  could  be- 
witch him.  For  what  indeed  could  a  prince  do  with 
a  princess  that  had  lost  her  gravity?  Who  could 
tell  what  she  might  not  lose  next?  She  might  lose 
her  visibility,  or  her  tangibility ;  or,  in  short,  the 
power  of  making  impressions  upon  the  radical  senso- 
rium ;  so  that  he  should  never  be  able  to  tell  whether 
she  was  dead  or  alive.  Of  course  he  made  no  fur- 
ther inquiries  about  her. 

One  day  he  lost  sight  of  his  retinue  in  a  great  for- 
est.    These   forests  are  very   useful   in  delivering 


320     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

princes  from  their  courtiers,  like  a  sieve  that  keeps 
back  the  bran.  Then  the  princes  get  away  to  follow 
their  fortunes.  In  this  way  they  have  the  advantage 
of  the  princesses,  who  are  forced  to  marry  before 
they  have  had  a  bit  of  fun.  I  wish  our  princesses 
got  lost  in  a  forest  sometimes. 

One  lovely  evening,  after  wandering  about  for 
many  days,  he  found  that  he  was  approaching  the 
outskirts  of  this  forest ;  for  the  trees  had  got  so 
thin  that  he  could  see  the  sunset  through  them ;  and 
he  soon  came  upon  a  kind  of  heath.  Next  he  came 
upon  signs  of  human  neighbourhood;  but  by  this 
time  it  was  getting  late,  and  there  was  nobody  in  the 
fields  to  direct  him. 

After  travelling  for  another  hour,  his  horse,  quite 
worn  out  with  long  labour  and  lack  of  food,  fell,  and 
was  unable  to  rise  again.  So  he  continued  his  jour- 
ney on  foot.  A  length  he  entered  another  wood — 
not  a  wild  forest,  but  a  civilised  wood,  through 
which  a  footpath  led  him  to  the  side  of  a  lake. 
Along  this  path  the  prince  pursued  his  way  through 
the  gathering  darkness.  Suddenly  he  paused,  and 
listened.  Strange  sounds  came  across  the  water. 
It  was,  in  fact,  the  princess  laughing.  Now  there 
was  something  odd  in  her  laugh,  as  I  have  already 
hinted ;  for  the  hatching  of  a  real  hearty  laugh  re- 
quires the  incubation  of  gravity;  and  perhaps  this 
was  how  the  prince  mistook  the  laughter  for  scream- 
ing. Looking  over  the  lake,  he  saw  something 
white  in  the  water ;  and,  in  an  instant,  he  had  torn 
off  his  tunic,  kicked  off  his  sandals,  and  plunged  in. 
He  soon  reached  the  white  object,  and  found  that  it 
was  a  woman.    There  was  not  light  enough  to  show 


The  Light  Princess  321 

that  she  was  a  princess,  but  quite  enough  to  show 
that  she  was  a  lady,  for  it  does  not  want  much  Hght 
to  see  that. 

Now  I  cannot  tell  how  it  came  about — whether 
she  pretended  to  be  drowning,  or  whether  he  fright- 
ened her,  or  caught  her  so  as  to  embarrass  her — but 
certainly  he  brought  her  to  shore  in  a  fashion  igno- 
minious to  a  swimmer,  and  more  nearly  drowned 
than  she  had  ever  expected  to  be ;  for  the  water  had 
got  into  her  throat  as  often  as  she  had  tried  to  speak. 

At  the  place  to  which  he  bore  her,  the  bank  was 
only  a  foot  or  two  above  the  water ;  so  he  gave  her 
a  strong  lift  out  of  the  water,  to  lay  her  on  the 
bank.  But,  her  gravitation  ceasing  the  moment  she 
left  the  water,  away  she  went  up  into  the  air,  scold- 
ing and  screaming. 

"  You  naughty,  naughty,  naughty,  NAUGHTY 
man  !  "  she  cried. 

No  one  had  ever  succeeded  in  putting  her  into 
a  passion  before.  When  the  prince  saw  her  ascend, 
he  thought  he  must  have  been  bewitched,  and  have 
mistaken  a  great  swan  for  a  lady.  But  the  princess 
caught  hold  of  the  topmost  cone  upon  a  lofty  fir. 
This  came  ofif;  but  she  caught  at  another;  and,  in 
fact,  stopped  herself  by  gathering  cones,  dropping 
them  as  the  stalks  gave  way.  The  prince,  mean- 
time, stood  in  the  water,  staring,  and  forgetting  to 
get  out.  But  the  princess  disappearing,  he  scram- 
bled on  shore,  and  went  in  the  direction  of  the  tree. 
There  he  found  her  climbing  down  one  of  the 
branches  towards  the  stem.  But  in  the  darkness  of 
the  wood,  the  prince  continued  in  some  bewilder- 
ment as  to  what  the  phenomenon  could  be;  until, 


322     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

reaching  the  ground,  and  seeing  him  standing  there, 
she  caught  hold  of  him,  and  said : 

"  I'll  tell  papa." 

"  Oh  no,  you  won't !  "  returned  the  prince. 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  she  persisted.  "  What  business 
had  you  to  pull  me  down  out  of  the  water,  and 
throw  me  to  the  bottom  of  the  air  ?  I  never  did  you 
any  harm." 

"  Pardon  me.    I  did  not  mean  to  hurt  you." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  have  any  brains ;  and  that  is 
a  worse  loss  than  your  wretched  gravity.  I  pity 
you." 

The  prince  now  saw  that  he  had  come  upon  the 
bewitched  princess,  and  had  already  offended  her. 
But  before  he  could  think  what  to  say  next,  she 
burst  out  angrily,  giving  a  stamp  with  her  foot  that 
would  have  sent  her  aloft  again  but  for  the  hold  she 
had  of  his  arm  : 

"  Put  me  up  directly." 

"  Put  you  up  where,  you  beauty  ? "  asked  the 
prince. 

He  had  fallen  in  love  with  her  almost,  already; 
for  her  anger  made  her  more  charming  than  any  one 
else  had  ever  beheld  her ;  and,  as  far  as  he  could  see, 
which  certainly  was  not  far,  she  had  not  a  single 
fault  about  her,  except,  of  course,  that  she  had  not 
any  gravity.  No  prince,  however,  would  judge  of  a 
princess  by  weight.  The  loveliness  of  her  foot  he 
would  hardly  estimate  by  the  depth  of  the  impres- 
sion it  could  make  in  mud. 

''  Put  you  up  where,  you  beauty  ? "  asked  the 
prince. 

"  In  the  water,  you  stupid !  "  answered  the  prin- 
'.ess. 


The  Light  Princess  323 

"  Come,  then,"  said  the  prince. 

The  condition  of  her  dress,  increasing  her  usual 
difficulty  in  walking,  compelled  her  to  cling  to  him ; 
and  he  could  hardly  persuade  himself  that  he  was 
not  in  a  delightful  dream,  notwithstanding  the  tor- 
rent of  musical  abuse  with  which  she  overwhelmed 
him.  The  prince  being  therefore  in  no  hurry,  they 
came  upon  the  lake  at  quite  another  part,  where  the 
bank  was  twenty-five  feet  high  at  least;  and  when 
they  had  reached  the  edge,  he  turned  towards  the 
princess,  and  said : 

"  How  am  I  to  put  you  in  ?  '* 

"  That  is  your  business,"  she  answered,  quite 
snappishly.    "  You  took  me  out — put  me  in  again." 

*'  Very  well,"  said  the  prince ;  and,  catching  her 
up  in  his  arms,  he  sprang  with  her  from  the  rock. 
The  princess  had  just  time  to  give  one  delighted 
shriek  of  laughter  before  the  water  closed  over  them. 
When  they  came  to  the  surface,  she  found  that,  for 
a  moment  or  two,  she  could  not  even  laugh,  for  she 
had  gone  down  with  such  a  rush,  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  she  recovered  her  breath.  The  instant  they 
reached  the  surface — 

"  How  do  you  like  falling  in  ?  "  said  the  prince. 

After  some  effort  the  princess  panted  out : 

"  Is  that  what  you  call  falling  in?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  prince,  "  I  should  think  it  a 
very  tolerable  specimen." 

*'  It  seemed  to  me  like  going  up,"  rejoined  she. 

"  My  feeling  was  certainly  one  of  elevation  too," 
the  prince  conceded. 

The  princess  did  not  appear  to  understand  him, 
for  she  retorted  his  question : 


324     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

"  How  do  you  like  falling  in  ?  "  said  the  princess. 

''  Beyond  everything,"  answered  he ;  ''  for  I  have 
fallen  in  with  the  only  perfect  creature  I  ever  saw." 

*'  No  more  of  that.  I  am  tired  of  it,"  said  the 
princess. 

Perhaps  she  shared  her  father's  aversion  to  pun- 
ning. 

"  Don't  you  like  falling  in,  then?  "  said  the  prince. 

"  It  is  the  most  delightful  fun  I  ever  had  in  my 
life,"  answered  she.  ''  I  never  fell  before.  I  wish 
I  could  learn.  To  think  I  am  the  only  person  in 
my  father's  kingdom  that  can't  fall !  " 

Here  the  poor  princess  looked  almost  sad. 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  fall  in  with  you  any 
time  you  like,"  said  the  prince,  devotedly. 

**  Thank  you.  I  don't  know.  Perhaps  it  would 
not  be  proper.  But  I  don't  care.  At  all  events,  as 
we  have  fallen  in,  let  us  have  a  swim  together." 

*'  With  all  my  heart,"  responded  the  prince. 

And  away  they  went,  swimming,  and  diving,  and 
floating,  until  at  last  they  heard  cries  along  the 
shore,  and  saw  lights  glancing  in  all  directions.  It 
was  now  quite  late,  and  there  was  no  moon. 

''  I  must  go  home,"  said  the  princess.  "  I  am  very 
sorry,  for  this  is  delightful." 

"  So  am  I,"  returned  the  prince.  "  But  I  am  glad 
I  haven't  a  home  to  go  to — at  least,  I  don't  exactly 
know  where  it  is." 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't  one  either,"  rejoined  the  prin- 
cess ;  '*  it  is  so  stupid !  I  have  a  great  mind,"  she 
continued,  ''  to  play  them  all  a  trick.  Why  couldn't 
they  leave  me  alone?  They  won't  trust  me  in  the 
lake  for  a  single  night !    You  see  where  that  green 


The  Light  Princess  325 

light  is  burning?  That  is  the  window  of  my  room. 
Now  if  you  would  just  swim  there  with  me  very 
quietly,  and  when  we  are  all  but  under  the  balcony, 
give  me  such  a  push — up  you  call  it — as  you  did  a 
little  while  ago,  I  should  be  able  to  catch  hold  of  the 
balcony,  and  get  in  at  the  window ;  and  then  they 
may  look  for  me  till  to-morrow  morning !  " 

''  With  more  obedience  than  pleasure,"  said  the 
prince,  gallantly ;  and  away  they  swam,  very  gently. 

"  Will  you  be  in  the  lake  to-morrow  night  ?  "  the 
prince  ventured  to  ask. 

"  To  be  sure  I  will.  I  don't  think  so.  Perhaps," 
was  the  princess's  somewhat  strange  answer. 

But  the  prince  was  intelligent  enough  not  to  press 
her  further;  and  merely  whispered,  as  he  gave  her 
the  parting  lift,  "  Don't  tell."  The  only  answer  the 
princess  returned  was  a  roguish  look.  She  was 
already  a  yard  above  his  head.  The  look  seemed  to 
say,  *'  Never  fear.  It  is  too  good  fun  to  spoil  that 
way." 

So  perfectly  like  other  people  had  she  been  in  the 
water,  that  even  yet  the  prince  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve his  eyes  when  he  saw  her  ascend  slowly,  grasp 
the  balcony,  and  disappear  through  the  window.  He 
turned,  almost  expecting  to  see  her  still  by  his  side. 
But  he  was  alone  in  the  water.  So  he  swam  away 
quietly,  and  watched  the  lights  roving  about  the 
shore  for  hours  after  the  princess  was  safe  in  her 
chamber.  As  soon  as  they  disappeared,  he  landed 
in  search  of  his  tunic  and  sword,  and,  after  some 
trouble,  found  them  again.  Then  he  made  the  best 
of  his  way  round  the  lake  to  the  other  side.  There 
the  wood  was  wilder,  and  the  shore  steeper — rising 


326     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

more  immediately  towards  the  mountains  which  sur- 
rounded the  lake  on  all  sides,  and  kept  sending  it 
messages  of  silvery  streams  from  morning  to  night, 
and  all  night  long.  He  soon  found  a  spot  where 
he  could  see  the  green  light  in  the  princess's  room, 
and  where,  even  in  the  broad  daylight,  he  would  be 
in  no  danger  of  being  discovered  from  the  opposite 
shore.  It  was  a  sort  of  cave  in  the  rock,  where  he 
provided  himself  a  bed  of  withered  leaves,  and  lay 
down  too  tired  for  hunger  to  keep  him  awake.  All 
night  long  he  dreamed  that  he  was  swimming  with 
the  princess. 

X 

Look  at  the  Moon 

Early  the  next  morning  the  prince  set  out  to  look 
for  something  to  eat,  which  he  soon  found  at  a 
forester's  hut,  where  for  many  following  days  he 
was  supplied  with  all  that  a  brave  prince  could  con- 
sider necessary.  And  having  plenty  to  keep  him 
alive  for  the  present,  he  would  not  think  of  wants 
not  yet  in  existence.  Whenever  Care  intruded,  this 
prince  always  bowed  him  out  in  the  most  princely 
manner. 

When  he  returned  from  his  breakfast  to  his 
watch-cave,  he  saw  the  princess  already  floating 
about  in  the  lake,  attended  by  the  king  and  queen — 
whom  he  knew  by  their  crowns — and  a  great  com- 
pany in  lovely  little  boats,  with  canopies  of  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow,  and  flags  and  streamers  of  a 
great  many  more.  It  was  a  very  bright  day,  and 
soon  the  prince,  burned  up  with  the  heat,  began  to 


The  Light  Princess  327 

long  for  the  cold  water  and  the  cool  princess.  But 
he  had  to  endure  till  twilight;  for  the  boats  had 
provisions  on  board,  and  it  was  not  till  the  sun  went 
down  that  the  gay  party  began  to  vanish.  Boat  after 
boat  drew  away  to  the  shore,  following  that  of  the 
king  and  queen,  till  only  one,  apparently  the  prin- 
cess's own  boat,  remained.  But  she  did  not  want 
to  go  home  even  yet,  and  the  prince  thought  he  saw 
her  order  the  boat  to  the  shore  without  her.  At  all 
events  it  rowed  away;  and  now,  of  all  the  radiant 
company,  only  one  white  speck  remained.  Then 
the  prince  began  to  sing. 
And  this  is  what  he  sung : 

"  Lady  fair. 
Swan-white, 
Lift  thine  eyes. 
Banish  night 
By  the  might 
Of  thine  eyes. 

*'  Snowy  arms, 
Oars  of  snow, 
Oar  her  hither. 
Plashing  low. 
Soft  and  slow, 
Oar  her  hither. 

*'  Stream  behind  her 
O'er  the  lake. 
Radiant  whiteness! 
In  her  wake 

Following,  following,  for  her  sake, 
Radiant  whiteness ! 


328     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

**  Cling  about  her, 
Waters  blue; 
Part  not  from  her, 
But  renew 
Cold  and  true 
Kisses  round  her. 

**  Lap  me  round, 
Waters  sad 
That  have  left  her 
Make  me  glad, 
For  ye  had 
Kissed  her  ere  ye  left  her." 

Before  he  had  finished  his  song,  the  princess  was 
just  under  the  place  where  he  sat,  and  looking  up  to 
find  him.    Her  ears  had  led  her  truly. 

"  Would  you  like  a  fall,  princess  ? "  said  the 
prince,  looking  down. 

"  Ah !  there  you  are !  Yes,  if  you  please,  prince," 
said  the  princess,  looking  up. 

'*  How  do  you  know  I  am  a  prince,  princess  ?  " 
said  the  prince. 

''  Because  you  are  a  very  nice  young  man,  prince," 
said  the  princess. 

"  Come  up  then,  princess." 

**  Fetch  me,  prince." 

The  prince  took  off  his  scarf,  then  his  swordbelt, 
then  his  tunic,  and  tied  them  all  together,  and  let 
them  down.  But  the  line  was  far  too  short.  He 
unwound  his  turban,  and  added  it  to  the  rest,  when  it 
was  all  but  long  enough ;  and  his  purse  completed  it. 
The  princess  just  managed  to  lay  hold  of  the  knot 


The  Light  Princess  329 

of  money,  and  was  beside  him  in  a  moment.  This 
rock  was  much  higher  than  the  other,  and  the  splash 
and  the  dive  were  tremendous.  The  princess  was 
in  ecstasies  of  deHght,  and  their  swim  was  dehcious. 

Night  after  night  they  met,  and  swam  about  in 
the  dark  clear  lake,  where  such  was  the  prince's 
gladness,  that  (whether  the  princess's  way  of  look- 
ing at  things  infected  him,  or  he  was  actually  getting 
light-headed)  he  often  fancied  that  he  was  swim- 
ming in  the  sky  instead  of  the  lake.  But  when  he 
talked  about  being  in  heaven,  the  princess  laughed 
at  him  dreadfully. 

When  the  moon  came,  she  brought  them  fresh 
pleasure.  Everything  looked  strange  and  new  in  her 
light,  with  an  old,  withered,  yet  unfading  newness. 
When  the  moon  was  nearly  full,  one  of  their  great 
delights  was  to  dive  deep  in  the  water,  and  then, 
turning  round,  look  up  through  it  at  the  great  blot 
of  light  close  above  them,  shimmering  and  trembling 
and  wavering,  spreading  and  contracting,  seeming 
to  melt  away,  and  again  grow  solid.  Then  they 
would  shoot  up  through  the  blot,  and  lo !  there  was 
the  moon,  far  off,  clear  and  steady  and  cold,  and 
very  lovely,  at  the  bottom  of  a  deeper  and  bluer  lake 
than  theirs,  as  the  princess  said. 

The  prince  soon  found  out  that  while  in  the  water 
the  princess  was  very  like  other  people.  And  be- 
sides this,  she  was  not  so  forward  in  her  questions 
or  pert  in  her  replies  at  sea  as  on  shore.  Neither 
did  she  laugh  so  much ;  and  when  she  did  laugh,  it 
was  more  gently.  She  seemed  altogether  more 
modest  and  maidenly  in  the  water  than  out  of  it. 
But  when  the  prince,  who  had  really  fallen  in  love 


S^o     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

when  he  fell  in  the  lake,  began  to  talk  to  her  about 
love,  she  always  turned  her  head  towards  him  and 
laughed.  After  a  while  she  began  to  look  puzzled, 
as  if  she  were  trying  to  understand  what  he  meant, 
but  could  not — revealing  a  notion  that  he  meant 
something.  But  as  soon  as  ever  she  left  the  lake, 
she  was  so  altered,  that  the  prince  said  to  himself, 
"  If  I  marry  her,  I  see  no  help  for  it :  we  must  turn 
merman  and  mermaid,  and  go  out  to  sea  at  once." 


XI 

Hiss! 

The  princess's  pleasure  in  the  lake  had  grown  to 
a  passion,  and  she  could  scarcely  bear  to  be  out  of  it 
for  an  hour.  Imagine  then  her  consternation,  when, 
diving  with  the  prince  one  night,  a  sudden  suspicion 
seized  her  that  the  lake  was  not  so  deep  as  it  used  to 
be.  The  prince  could  not  imagine  what  had  hap- 
pened. She  shot  to  the  surface,  and,  without  a  word, 
swam  at  full  speed  towards  the  higher  side  of  the 
lake.  He  followed,  begging  to  know  if  she  was  ill, 
or  what  was  the  matter.  She  never  turned  her  head, 
or  took  the  smallest  notice  of  his  question.  Ar- 
rived at  the  shore,  she  coasted  the  rocks  with  minute 
inspection.  But  she  was  not  able  to  come  to  a  con- 
clusion, for  the  moon  was  very  small,  and  so  she 
could  not  see  well.  She  turned  therefore  and  swam 
home,  without  saying  a  word  to  explain  her  conduct 
to  the  prince,  of  whose  presence  she  seemed  no 
longer  conscious.  He  withdrew  to  his  cave,  in  great 
perplexity  and  distress. 


The  Light  Princess  331 

Next  day  she  made  many  observations,  which, 
alas !  strengthened  her  fears.  She  saw  that  the 
banks  were  too  dry ;  and  that  the  grass  on  the  shore, 
and  the  traihng  plants  on  the  rocks,  were  withering 
away.  She  caused  marks  to  be  made  along  the  bor- 
ders, and  examined  them,  day  after  day,  in  all  direc- 
tions of  the  wind;  till  at  last  the  horrible  idea  be- 
came a  certain  fact — that  the  surface  of  the  lake  was 
slowly  sinking. 

The  poor  princess  nearly  went  out  of  the  little 
mind  she  had.  It  was  awful  to  her  to  see  the  lake, 
which  she  loved  more  than  any  living  thing,  lie 
dying  before  her  eyes.  It  sank  away,  slowly  vanish- 
ing. The  tops  of  rocks  that  had  never  been  seen  till 
now,  began  to  appear  far  down  in  the  clear  water. 
Before  long  they  were  dry  in  the  sun.  It  was  fearful 
to  think  of  the  mud  that  would  soon  lie  there  baking 
and  festering,  full  of  lovely  creatures  dying,  and 
ugly  creatures  coming  to  life,  like  the  unmaking  of 
a  world.  And  how  hot  the  sun  would  be  without 
any  lake !  She  could  not  bear  to  swim  in  it  any 
more,  and  began  to  pine.  away.  Her  life  seemed 
bound  up  with  it ;  and  ever  as  the  lake  sank,  she 
pined.  People  said  she  would  not  live  an  hour  after 
the  lake  was  gone. 

But  she  never  cried.  ^ 

Proclamation  was  made  to  all  the  kingdom,  that 
whosoever  should  discover  the  cause  of  the  lake's 
decrease,  would  be  rewarded  after  a  princely  fash- 
ion. Hum-Drum  and  Kopy-Keck  applied  them- 
selves to  their  physics  and  metaphysics ;  but  in  vain. 
Not  even  they  could  suggest  a  cause. 

Now  the  fact  was  that  the  old  princess  was  at  the 


S3 2     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Knozv 

root  of  the  mischief.  When  she  heard  that  her 
niece  found  more  pleasure  in  the  water  than  any  one 
else  had  out  of  it,  she  went  into  a  rage,  and  cursed 
herself  for  her  want  of  foresight. 

''  But,"  said  she,  "  I  will  soon  set  all  right.  The 
king  and  the  people  shall  die  of  thirst ;  their  brains 
shall  boil  and  frizzle  in  their  skulls  before  I  will  lose 
my  revenge." 

And  she  laughed  a  ferocious  laugh,  that  made  the 
hairs  on  the  back  of  her  black  cat  stand  erect  with 
terror. 

Then  she  went  to  an  old  chest  in  the  room,  and 
opening  it,  took  out  what  looked  like  a  piece  of  dried 
seaweed.  This  she  threw  into  a  tub  of  water.  Then 
she  threw  some  powder  into  the  water,  and  stirred 
it  with  her  bare  arm,  muttering  over  it  words  of 
hideous  sound,  and  yet  more  hideous  import.  Then 
she  set  the  tub  aside,  and  took  from  the  chest  a  huge 
bunch  of  a  hundred  rusty  keys,  that  clattered  in  her 
shaking  hands.  Then  she  sat  down  and  proceeded 
to  oil  them  all.  Before  she  had  finished,  out  from 
the  tub,  the  water  of  which  had  kept  on  a  slow  mo- 
tion ever  since  she  had  ceased  stirring  it,  came  the 
head  and  half  the  body  of  a  huge  gray  snake.  But 
the  witch  did  not  look  round.  It  grew  out  of  the 
tub,  waving  itself  backwards  and  forwards  with  a 
slow  horizontal  motion,  till  it  reached  the  princess, 
when  it  laid  its  head  upon  her  shoulder,  and  gave  a 
low  hiss  in  her  ear.  She  started — but  with  joy ;  and 
seeing  the  head  resting  on  her  shoulder,  drew  it 
towards  her  and  kissed  it.  Then  she  drew  it  all  out 
of  the  tub,  and  wound  it  round  her  body.     It  was 


The  Light  Princess  S33 

one  of  those  dreadful  creatures  which  few  have  ever 
beheld — the  White  Snakes  of  Darkness. 

Then  she  took  the  keys  and  went  down  to  her 
cellar ;  and  as  she  unlocked  the  door  she  said  to  her- 
self: 

"  This  is  worth  living  for !  " 

Locking  the  door  behind  her,  she  descended  a  few 
steps  into  the  cellar,  and  crossing  it,  unlocked  an- 
other door  into  a  dark,  narrow  passage.  She  locked 
this  also  behind  her,  and  descended  a  few  more 
steps.  If  any  one  had  followed  the  witch-princess, 
he  would  have  heard  her  unlock  exactly  one  hundred 
doors,  and  descend  a  few  steps  after  unlocking  each. 
When  she  had  unlocked  the  last,  she  entered  a  vast 
cave,  the  roof  of  which  was  supported  by  huge 
natural  pillars  of  rock.  Now  this  roof  w^as  the 
under  side  of  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

She  then  untwined  the  snake  from  her  body,  and 
held  it  by  the  tail  high  above  her.  The  hideous 
creature  stretched  up  its  head  towards  the  roof  of 
the  cavern,  which  it  was  just  able  to  reach.  It  then 
began  to  move  its  head  backwards  and  forwards, 
with  a  slow  oscillating  motion,  as  if  looking  for 
something.  At  the  same  moment  the  witch  began 
to  walk  round  and  round  the  cavern,  coming  nearer 
to  the  centre  every  circuit;  while  the  head  of  the 
snake  described  the  same  path  over  the  roof  that 
she  did  over  the  floor,  for  she  kept  holding  it  up. 
And  still  it  kept  slowly  oscillating.  Round  and 
round  the  cavern  they  went,  ever  lessening  the  cir- 
cuit, till  at  last  the  snake  made  a  sudden  dart,  and 
clung  to  the  roof  with  its  mouth. 


334     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

''  That's  right,  my  beauty !  "  cried  the  princess ; 
"  drain  it  dry." 

She  let  it  go,  left  it  hanging,  and  sat  down  on  a 
great  stone,  with  her  black  cat,  which  had  followed 
her  all  round  the  cave,  by  her  side.  Then  she  began 
to  knit  and  mutter  awful  words.  The  snake  hung 
like  a  huge  leech,  sucking  at  the  stone ;  the  cat  stood 
with  his  back  arched,  and  his  tail  like  a  piece  of 
cable,  looking  up  at  the  snake ;  and  the  old  woman 
sat  and  knitted  and  muttered.  Seven  days  and  seven 
nights  they  remained  thus;  when  suddenly  the  ser- 
pent dropped  from  the  roof  as  if  exhausted,  and 
shrivelled  up  till  it  was  again  like  a  piece  of  dried 
seaweed.  The  witch  started  to  her  feet,  picked  it 
up,  put  it  in  her  pocket,  and  looked  up  at  the  roof. 
One  drop  of  water  was  trembling  on  the  spot  where 
the  snake  had  been  sucking.  As  soon  as  she  saw 
that,  she  turned  and  fled,  followed  by  her  cat.  Shut- 
ting the  door  in  a  terrible  hurry,  she  locked  it, 
and  having  muttered  some  frightful  words,  sped  to 
the  next,  which  also  she  locked  and  muttered  over ; 
and  so  with  all  the  hundred  doors,  till  she  arrived 
in  her  own  cellar.  Then  she  sat  down  on  the  floor 
ready  to  faint,  but  listening  with  malicious  delight 
to  the  rushing  of  the  water,  which  she  could  hear 
distinctly  through  all  the  hundred  doors. 

But  this  was  not  enough.  Now  that  she  had 
tasted  revenge,  she  lost  her  patience.  Without  fur- 
ther measures,  the  lake  would  be  too  long  in  dis- 
appearing. So  the  next  night,  with  the  last  shred  of 
the  dying  old  moon  rising,  she  took  some  of  the 
water  in  which  she  had  revived  the  snake,  put  it  in 
a  bottle,  and  set  out,  accompanied  by  her  cat.     Be- 


The  Light  Princess  335 

fore  morning  she  had  made  the  entire  circuit  of  the 
lake,  muttering  fearful  words  as  she  crossed  every 
stream,  and  casting  into  it  some  of  the  water  out 
of  her  bottle.  When  she  had  finished  the  circuit  she 
muttered  yet  again,  and  flung  a  handful  of  water 
towards  the  moon.  Thereupon  every  spring  in  the 
country  ceased  to  throb  and  bubble,  dying  away 
like  the  pulse  of  a  dying  man.  The  next  day  there 
was  no  sound  of  falling  water  to  be  heard  along 
the  borders  of  the  lake.  The  very  courses  were  dry ; 
and  the  mountains  showed  no  silvery  streaks  down 
their  dark  sides.  And  not  alone  had  the  fountains 
of  mother  Earth  ceased  to  flow ;  for  all  the  babies 
throughout  the  country  were  crying  dreadfully — 
only  without  tears. 


XII 

Where  Is  the  Prince? 

Never  since  the  night  when  the  princess  left  him 
so  abruptly  had  the  prince  had  a  single  interview 
w^ith  her.  He  had  seen  her  once  or  twice  in  the 
lake ;  but  as  far  as  he  could  discover,  she  had  not 
been  in  it  any  more  at  night.  He  had  sat  and  sung, 
and  looked  in  vain  for  his  Nereid,  while  she,  like  a 
true  Nereid,  was  wasting  away  with  her  lake,  sink- 
ing as  it  sank,  withering  as  it  dried.  When  at 
length  he  discovered  the  change  that  was  taking 
place  in  the  level  of  the  water,  he  was  in  great  alarm 
and  perplexity.  He  could  not  tell  whether  the  lake 
was   dying  because  the  lady  had  forsaken  it;  or 


336     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

whether  the  lady  would  not  come  because  the  lake 
had  begun  to  sink.  But  he  resolved  to  know  so 
much  at  least. 

He  disguised  himself,  and,  going  to  the  palace, 
requested  to  see  the  lord  chamberlain.  His  appear- 
ance at  once  gained  his  request ;  and  the  lord  cham- 
berlain, being  a  man  of  some  insight,  perceived  that 
there  was  more  in  the  prince's  solicitation  than  met 
the  ear.  He  felt  likewise  that  no  one  could  tell 
whence  a  solution  of  the  present  difficulties  might 
arise.  So  he  granted  the  prince's  prayer  to  be  made 
shoeblack  to  the  princess.  It  was  rather  cunning 
in  the  prince  to  request  such  an  easy  post,  for  the 
princess  could  not  possibly  soil  as  many  shoes  as 
other  princesses. 

He  soon  learned  all  that  could  be  told  about  the 
princess.  He  went  nearly  distracted;  but  after 
roaming  about  the  lake  for  days,  and  diving  in 
every  depth  that  remained,  all  that  he  could  do  was 
to  put  an  extra  polish  on  the  dainty  pair  of  boots 
that  was  never  called  for. 

For  the  princess  kept  her  room,  with  the  curtains 
drawn  to  shut  out  the  dying  lake,  but  could  not 
shut  it  out  of  her  mind  for  a  moment.  It  haunted 
her  imagination  so  that  she  felt  as  if  the  lake  were 
her  soul,  drying  up  within  her,  first  to  mud,  then 
to  madness  and  death.  She  thus  brooded  over  the 
change,  with  all  its  dreadful  accompaniments,  till 
she  was  nearly  distracted.  As  for  the  prince,  she 
had  forgotten  him.  However  much  she  had  enjoyed 
his  company  in  the  water,  she  did  not  care  for  him 
without  it.  But  she  seemed  to  have  forgotten  her 
father  and  mother  too. 


The  Light  Princess  337 

The  lake  went  on  sinking.  Small  slimy  spots  be- 
gan to  appear,  which  glittered  steadily  amidst  the 
changeful  shine  of  the  water.  These  grew  to  broad 
patches  of  mud,  which  widened  and  spread,  with 
rocks  here  and  there,  and  floundering  fishes  and 
crawling  eels  swarming.  The  people  went  every- 
where catching  these,  and  looking  for  anything  that 
might  have  dropped  from  the  royal  boats. 

At  length  the  lake  was  all  but  gone,  only  a  few 
of  the  deepest  pools  remaining  unexhausted. 

It  happened  one  day  that  a  party  of  youngsters 
found  themselves  on  the  brink  of  one  of  these  pools 
in  the  very  centre  of  the  lake.  It  was  a  rocky 
basin  of  considerable  depth.  Looking  in,  they  saw 
at  the  bottom  something  that  shone  yellow  in  the 
sun.  A  little  boy  jumped  in  and  dived  for  it.  It 
was  a  plate  of  gold  covered  with  writing.  They 
carried  it  to  the  king. 

On  one  side  of  it  stood  these  words : 

"  Death  alone  from  death  can  save. 
Love  is  death,  and  so  is  brave. 
Love  can  fill  the  deepest  grave. 
Love  loves  on  beneath  the  wave." 

Now  this  was  enigmatical  enough  to  the  king  and 
courtiers.  But  the  reverse  of  the  plate  explained  it 
a  little.    Its  writing  amounted  to  this : 

"  If  the  lake  should  disappear,  they  must  find  the 
hole  through  which  the  water  ran.  But  it  would  be 
useless  to  try  to  stop  it  by  any  ordinary  means. 
There  was  but  one  effectual  mode.  The  body  of  a 
living  man  could  alone  staunch  the  flow.    The  man 


Ss^     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

must  give  himself  of  his  own  will ;  and  the  lake 
must  take  his  life  as  it  filled.  Otherwise  the  offer- 
ing would  be  of  no  avail.  If  the  nation  could  not 
provide  one  hero,  it  was  time  it  should  perish." 


XIII 
Here  I  Am! 

This  was  a  very  disheartening  revelation  to  the 
king — not  that  he  was  unwilling  to  sacrifice  a  sub- 
ject, but  that  he  was  hopeless  of  finding  a  man  will- 
ing to  sacrifice  himself.  No  time  was  to  be  lost, 
however,  for  the  princess  was  lying  motionless  on 
her  bed,  and  taking  no  nourishment  but  lake-water, 
which  was  now  none  of  the  best.  Therefore  the 
king  caused  the  contents  of  the  wonderful  plate  of 
gold  to  be  published  throughout  the  country. 

No  one,  however,  came  forward. 

The  prince,  having  gone  several  days'  journey 
into  the  forest,  to  consult  a  hermit  whom  he  had 
met  there  on  his  way  to  Lagobel,  knew  nothing  of 
the  oracle  till  his  return. 

When  he  had  acquainted  himself  with  all  the 
particulars,  he  sat  down  and  thought: 

''  She  will  die  if  I  don't  do  it,  and  life  would  be 
nothing  to  me  without  her;  so  I  shall  lose  nothing 
by  doing  it.  And  life  will  be  as  pleasant  to  her  as 
ever,  for  she  will  soon  forget  me.  And  there  will 
be  so  much  more  beauty  and  happiness  in  the  world  1 
To  be  sure,  I  shall  not  see  it."  (Here  the  poor 
prince  gave  a  sigh.)  "  How  lovely  the  lake  will  be 
in  the  moonlight,  with  that  glorious  creature  sport- 


The  Light  Princess  339 

ing  in  it  like  a  wild  goddess !  It  is  rather  hard  to  be 
drowned  by  inches,  though.  Let  me  see — that  will 
be  seventy  inches  of  me  to  drown."  (Here  he  tried 
to  laugh,  but  could  not.)  ''  The  longer  the  better, 
however,"  he  resumed,  *'  for  can  I  not  bargain  that 
the  princess  shall  be  beside  me  all  the  time?  So  I 
shall  see  her  once  more,  kiss  her  perhaps — who 
knows?  and  die  looking  in  her  eyes.  It  will  be  no 
death.  At  least,  I  shall  not  feel  it.  And  to  see  the 
lake  filling  for  the  beauty  again !  All  right !  I  am 
ready." 

He  kissed  the  princess's  boot,  laid  it  down,  and 
hurried  to  the  king's  apartment.  But  feeling,  as  he 
went,  that  anything  sentimental  would  be  disagree- 
able, he  resolved  to  carry  off  the  whole  affair  with 
nonchalance.  So  he  knocked  at  the  door  of  the 
king's  counting-house,  where  it  was  all  but  a  capital 
crime  to  disturb  him. 

When  the  king  heard  the  knock,  he  started  up, 
and  opened  the  door  in  a  rage.  Seeing  only  the 
shoeblack,  he  drew  his  sword.  This,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  was  his  usual  mode  of  asserting  his  regality 
when  he  thought  his  dignity  was  in  danger.  But 
the  prince  was  not  in  the  least  alarmed. 

''  Please  your  majesty,  I'm  your  butler,"  said  he. 

''  My  butler !  you  lying  rascal !  What  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  I  will  cork  your  big  bottle." 
k      "  Is  the  fellow  mad  ?  "  bawled  the  king,  raising 
the  point  of  his  sword. 

"  I  will  put  the  stopper — plug — what  you  call  it,  in 
your  leaky  lake,  grand  monarch,"  said  the  prince. 

The  king  was  in  such  a  rage  that  before  he  could 


340     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

speak  he  had  time  to  cool,  and  to  reflect  that  it 
would  be  great  waste  to  kill  the  only  man  who  was 
willing  to  be  useful  in  the  present  emergency,  see- 
ing that  in  the  end  the  insolent  fellow  would  be  as 
dead  as  if  he  had  died  by  his  majesty's  own  hand. 

"  Oh !  "  said  he  at  last,  putting  up  his  sword  with 
difficulty,  it  was  so  long ;  ''  I  am  obliged  to  you,  you 
young  fool !    Take  a  glass  of  wine  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,"  replied  the  prince. 

*'  Very  well,"  said  the  king.  "  Would  you  like  to 
run  and  see  your  parents  before  you  make  your 
experiment  ?  " 

'*  No,  thank  you,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Then  we  will  go  and  look  for  the  hole  at  once," 
said  his  majesty,  and  proceeded  to  call  some  at- 
tendants. 

"  Stop,  please  your  majesty,  I  have  a  condition  to 
make,"  interposed  the  prince. 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  king,  "  a  condition !  and 
with  me  !    How  dare  you  ?  " 

"  As  you  please,"  returned  the  prince,  coolly.  "  I 
wish  your  majesty  a  good  morning." 

"  You  wretch !  I  will  have  you  put  in  a  sack,  and 
stuck  in  the  hole." 

"  Very  well,  your  majesty,"  replied  the  prince,  be- 
coming a  little  more  respectful,  lest  the  wrath  of  the 
king  should  deprive  him  of  the  pleasure  of  dying  for 
the  princess.  "  But  what  good  will  that  do  your 
majesty?  Please  to  remember  that  the  oracle  says  | 
the  victim  must  offer  himself." 

*'  Well,  you  haz'e  offered  yourself,"  retorted  the 
king. 

"  Yes,  upon  one  condition." 


The  Light  Princess  341 

"  Condition  again !  "  roared  the  king,  once  more 
drawing  his  sword.  ''  Begone !  Somebody  else  will 
be  glad  enough  to  take  the  honour  ofif  your  shoul- 
ders." 

"  Your  majesty  knows  it  will  not  be  easy  to  get 
another  to  take  my  place." 

"Well,  what  is  your  condition?"  growled  the 
king,  feeling  that  the  prince  was  right. 

'*  Only  this,"  replied  the  prince ;  "  that,  as  I  must 
on  no  account  die  before  I  am  fairly  drowned,  and 
the  waiting  will  be  rather  wearisome,  the  princess, 
your  daughter,  shall  go  with  me,  feed  me  with  her 
own  hands,  and  look  at  me  now  and  then  to  comfort 
me ;  for  you  must  confess  it  is  rather  hard.  As 
soon  as  the  water  is  up  to  my  eyes,  she  may  go  and 
be  happy,  and  forget  her  poor  shoeblack." 

Here  the  prince's  voice  faltered,  and  he  very 
nearly  grew  sentimental,  in  spite  of  his  resolution. 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  before  what  your  condi- 
tion was  ?  Such  a  fuss  about  nothing !  "  exclaimed 
the  king. 

''  Do  you  grant  it  ?  "  persisted  the  prince. 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  replied  the  king. 

"  Very  well.    I  am  ready." 

"  Go  and  have  some  dinner,  then,  while  I  set  my 
people  to  find  the  place." 

The  king  ordered  out  his  guards,  and  gave  direc- 
tions to  the  officers  to  find  the  hole  in  the  lake  at 
once.  So  the  bed  of  the  lake  was  marked  out  in 
divisions  and  thoroughly  examined,  and  in  an  hour 
or  so  the  hole  was  discovered.  It  was  in  the  middle 
of  a  stone,  near  the  centre  of  the  lake,  in  the  very 
pool  where  the  golden  plate  had  been  found.     It  was 


342     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

a  three-cornered  hole  of  no  great  size.  There  was 
water  all  round  the  stone,  but  very  little  was  flowing 
through  the  hole. 


XIV 

This  Is  Very  Kind  of  You 

The  prince  went  to  dress  for  the  occasion,  for  he 
was  resolved  to  die  like  a  prince. 

When  the  princess  heard  that  a  man  had  offered 
to  die  for  her,  she  was  so  transported  that  she 
jumped  off  the  bed,  feeble  as  she  was,  and  danced 
about  the  room  for  joy.  She  did  not  care  who  the 
man  was ;  that  was  nothing  to  her.  The  hole  wanted 
stopping;  and  if  only  a  man  would  do,  why,  take 
one.  In  an  hour  or  two  more  everything  was  ready. 
Her  maid  dressed  her  in  haste,  and  they  carried  her 
to  the  side  of  the  lake.  When  she  saw  it  she 
shrieked,  and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  They 
bore  her  across  to  the  stone,  where  they  had  already 
placed  a  little  boat  for  her.  The  water  was  not 
deep  enough  to  float  in,  but  they  hoped  it  would  be, 
before  long.  They  laid  her  on  cushions,  placed  in 
the  boat  wines  and  fruits  and  other  nice  things,  and 
stretched  a  canopy  over  all. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  prince  appeared.  The  prin- 
cess recognised  him  at  once,  but  did  not  think  it 
worth  while  to  acknowledge  him. 

"  Here  I  am,"  said  the  prince.    "  Put  me  in." 

"  They  told  me  it  was  a  shoeblack,"  said  the 
princess. 

**  So  I  am,"  said  the  prince.     *'  I  blacked  your 


The  Light  Princess  343 

little  boots  three  times  a  day,  because  they  were  all 
I  could  get  of  you.    Put  me  in." 

The  courtiers  did  not  resent  his  bluntness,  except 
by  saying  to  each  other  that  he  was  taking  it  out 
in  impudence. 

But  how  was  he  to  be  put  in?  The  golden  plate 
contained  no  instructions  on  this  point.  The  prince 
looked  at  the  hole,  and  saw  but  one  way.  He  put 
both  his  legs  into  it,  sitting  on  the  stone,  and,  stoop- 
ing forward,  covered  the  corner  that  remained  open 
with  his  two  hands.  In  this  uncomfortable  position 
he  resolved  to  abide  his  fate,  and  turning  to  the 
people,  said : 

''  Now  you  can  go." 

The  king  had  already  gone  home  to  dinner. 

"  Now  you  can  go,"  repeated  the  princess  after 
him,  like  a  parrot. 

The  people  obeyed  her  and  went. 

Presently  a  little  wave  flowed  over  the  stone,  and 
wetted  one  of  the  prince's  knees.  But  he  did  not 
mind  it  much.  He  began  to  sing,  and  the  song  he 
sang  was  this : 

"  As  a  world  that  has  no  well, 
Darkly  bright  in  forest  dell ; 
As  a  world  without  the  gleam 
Of  the  downward-going  stream ; 
As  a  world  without  the  glance 
Of  the  ocean's  fair  expanse ; 
As  a  world  where  never  rain 
Glittered  on  the  sunny  plain  ; — 
Such,  my  heart,  thy  world  would  be. 
If  no  love  did  flow  in  thee. 


344     Fairy  Tales  Ez'ery  Child  Should  Know 

**  As  a  world  without  the  sound 
Of  the  rivulets  underground ; 
Or  the  bubbling  of  the  spring 
Out  of  darkness  wandering ; 
Or  the  mighty  rush  and  flowing 
Of  the  river's  downward  going; 
Or  the  music-showers  that  drop 
On  the  outspread  beech's  top ; 
Or  the  ocean's  mighty  voice, 
When  his  lifted  waves  rejoice  ; — 
Such,  my  soul,  thy  world  would  be, 
If  no  love  did  sing  in  thee. 

"  Lady,  keep  thy  world's  delight, 
Keep  the  waters  in  thy  sight. 
Love  hath  made  me  strong  to  go, 
For  thy  sake,  to  realms  below, 
Where  the  water's  shine  and  hum 
Through  the  darkness  never  come. 
Let,  I  pray,  one  thought  of  me 
Spring,  a  little  well,  in  thee ; 
Lest  thy  loveless  soul  be  found 
Like  a  dry  and  thirsty  ground." 

"  Sing  again,  prince.  It  makes  it  less  tedious," 
said  the  princess. 

But  the  prince  was  too  much  overcome  to  sing  any 
more,  and  a  long  pause  followed. 

"  This  is  very  kind  of  you,  prince,"  said  the  prin- 
cess at  last,  quite  coolly,  as  she  lay  in  the  boat  with 
her  eyes  shut. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  can't  return  the  compliment," 
thought  the  prince,  "  but  you  are  worth  dying  for, 
after  all." 


The  Light  Princess  345 

Again  a  wavelet,  and  another,  and  another  flowed 
over  the  stone,  and  wetted  both  the  prince's  knees ; 
but  he  did  not  speak  or  move.  Two — three — four 
hours  passed  in  this  way,  the  princess  apparently 
asleep,  and  the  prince  very  patient.  But  he  was 
much  disappointed  in  his  position,  for  he  had  none 
of  the  consolation  he  had  hoped  for. 

At  last  he  could  bear  it  no  longer. 

"  Princess  !  "  said  he. 

But  at  the  moment  up  started  the  princess,  cry- 
ing: 

"  I'm  afloat !     I'm  afloat !  " 

And  the  little  boat  bumped  against  the  stone. 

"  Princess !  "  repeated  the  prince,  encouraged  by 
seeing  her  wide  awake  and  looking  eagerly  at  the 
water. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  she,  without  looking  round. 

''  Your  papa  promised  that  you  should  look  at  me, 
and  you  haven't  looked  at  me  once." 

'*  Did  he  ?  Then  I  suppose  I  must.  But  I  am  so 
sleepy !  " 

''  Sleep,  then,  darling,  and  don't  mind  me,"  said 
the  poor  prince. 

''  Really,  you  are  very  good,"  replied  the  princess. 
"  I  think  I  will  go  to  sleep  again." 

''  Just  give  me  a  glass  of  wine  and  a  biscuit  first," 
said  the  prince,  very  humbly. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  the  princess,  and 
yawned  as  she  said  it. 

She  got  the  wine  and  the  biscuit,  however,  and 
leaning  over  the  side  of  the  boat  towards  him,  was 
compelled  to  look  at  him. 


346     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

*'  Why,  prince,"  she  said,  ''  you  don't  look  well ! 
Are  you  sure  you  don't  mind  it  ?  " 

*'  Not  a  bit,"  answered  he,  feeling  very  faint  in- 
deed. "  Only  I  shall  die  before  it  is  of  any  use  to 
you,  unless  I  have  something  to  eat." 

"  There,  then,"  said  she,  holding  out  the  wine  to 
him. 

"  Ah !  you  must  feed  me.  I  dare  not  move  my 
hands.    The  water  would  run  away  directly." 

"  Good  gracious !  "  said  the  princess ;  and  she  be- 
gan at  once  to  feed  him  with  bits  of  biscuit  and  sips 
of  wine. 

As  she  fed  him,  he  contrived  to  kiss  the  tips  of  her 
fingers  now  and  then.  She  did  not  seem  to  mind  it, 
one  way  or  the  other.     But  the  prince  felt  better. 

"  Now,  for  your  own  sake,  princess,"  said  he,  '*  I 
cannot  let  you  go  to  sleep.  You  must  sit  and  look 
at  me,  else  I  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  up." 

*'  Well,  I  will  do  anything  to  oblige  you,"  answered 
she,  with  condescension ;  and,  sitting  down,  she  did 
look  at  him,  and  kept  looking  at  him  with  wonderful 
steadiness,  considering  all  things. 

The  sun  went  down,  and  the  moon  rose,  and,  gush 
after  gush,  the  waters  were  rising  up  the  prince's 
body.    Tlrey  were  up  to  his  waist  now. 

''  Why  can't  we  go  and  have  a  swim?"  said  the 
princess.  ''  There  seems  to  be  water  enough  just 
about  here." 

''  I  shall  never  swim  more,"  said  the  prince. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot,"  said  the  princess,  and  was  silent. 

So  the  water  grew  and  grew,  and  rose  up  and  up 
on  the  prince.  And  the  princess  sat  and  looked  at 
him.     She  fed  him  now  and  then.     The  night  wore 


The  Light  Princess  347 

on.  The  waters  rose  and  rose.  The  moon  rose  Hke- 
wise  higher  and  higher,  and  shone  full  on  the  face 
of  the  dying  prince.    The  water  was  up  to  his  neck. 

"  Will  you  kiss  me,  princess  ?  "  said  he,  feebly. 
The  nonchalance  was  all  gone  now. 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  answered  the  princess,  and  kissed 
him  with  a  long,  sweet,  cold  kiss. 

**  Now,"  said  he,  with  a  sigh  of  content,  ''  I  die 
happy." 

He  did  not  speak  again.  The  princess  gave  him 
some  wine  for  the  last  time :  he  was  past  eating. 
Then  she  sat  down  again,  and  looked  at  him.  The 
water  rose  and  rose.  It  touched  his  chin.  It  touched 
his  lower  lip.  It  touched  between  his  lips.  He  shut 
them  hard  to  keep  it  out.  The  princess  began  to  feel 
strange.  It  touched  his  upper  lip.  He  breathed 
through  his  nostrils.  The  princess  looked  wild.  It 
covered  his  nostrils.  Her  eyes  looked  scared,  and 
shone  strange  in  the  moonlight.  His  head  fell  back ; 
the  water  closed  over  it,  and  the  bubbles  of  his  last 
breath  bubbled  up  through  the  water.  The  princess 
gave  a  shriek,  and  sprang  into  the  lake. 

She  laid  hold  first  of  one  leg,  and  then  of  the 
other,  and  pulled  and  tugged,  but  she  could  not  move 
either.  She  stopped  to  take  breath,  and  that  made 
her  think  that  he  could  not  get  any  breath.  She 
was  frantic.  She  got  hold  of  him,  and  held  his 
head  above  the  water,  which  was  possible  now  his 
hands  were  no  longer  on  the  hole.  But  it  was  of  no 
use,  for  he  was  past  breathing. 

Love  and  water  brought  back  all  her  strength. 
She  got  under  the  water,  and  pulled  and  pulled 
with  her  whole  might,  till  at  last  she  got  one  leg  out. 


348     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  other  easily  followed.  How  she  got  him  into 
the  boat  she  never  could  tell ;  but  when  she  did,  she 
fainted  away.  Coming  to  herself,  she  seized  the 
oars,  kept  herself  steady  as  best  she  could,  and 
rowed  and  rowed,  though  she  had  never  rowed  be- 
fore. Round  rocks,  and  over  shallows,  and  through 
mud  she  rowed,  till  she  got  to  the  landing-stairs  of 
the  palace.  By  this  time  her  people  were  on  the 
shore,  for  they  had  heard  her  shriek.  She  made 
them  carry  the  prince  to  her  own  room,  and  lay 
him  in  her  bed,  and  light  a  fire,  and  send  for  the 
doctors. 

''  But  the  lake,  your  highness !  "  said  the  cham- 
berlain, who,  roused  by  the  noise^  came  in,  in  his 
nightcap. 

"  Go  and  drown  yourself  in  it !  "  she  said. 

This  was  the  last  rudeness  of  which  the  princess 
was  ever  guilty;  and  one  must  allow  that  she  had 
good  cause  to  feel  provoked  with  the  lord  chamber- 
lain. 

Had  it  been  the  king  himself,  he  would  have  fared 
no  better.  But  both  he  and  the  queen  were  fast 
asleep.  And  the  chamberlain  went  back  to  his  bed. 
Somehow,  the  doctors  never  came.  So  the  princess 
and  her  old  nurse  were  left  with  the  prince.  But  the 
old  nurse  was  a  wise  woman,  and  knew  what  to  do. 

They  tried  everything  for  a  long  time  without  suc- 
cess. The  princess  was  nearly  distracted  between 
hope  and  fear,  but  she  tried  on  and  on,  one  thing 
after  another,  and  everything  over  and  over  again. 

At  last,  when  they  had  all  but  given  it  up,  just 
as  the  sun  rose,  the  prince  opened  his  eyes. 


The  Light  Princess  349 

XV 
Look  at  the  Rain! 

The  princess  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears  and  fell 
on  the  floor.  There  she  lay  for  an  hour,  and  her 
tears  never  ceased.  All  the  pent-up  crying  of  her 
life  was  spent  now.  And  a  rain  came  on,  such  as 
had  never  been  seen  in  that  country.  The  sun  shone 
all  the  time,  and  the  great  drops,  which  fell  straight 
to  the  earth,  shone  likewise.  The  palace  was  in  the 
heart  of  a  rainbow.  It  was  a  rain  of  rubies,  and  sap- 
phires, and  emeralds,  and  topazes.  The  torrents 
poured  from  the  mountains  like  molten  gold ;  and  if 
it  had  not  been  for  its  subterraneous  outlet,  the  lake 
would  have  overflowed  and  inundated  the  country. 
It  was  full  from  shore  to  shore. 

But  the  princess  did  not  heed  the  lake.  She  lay 
on  the  floor  and  wept.  And  this  rain  within  doors 
was  far  more  wonderful  than  the  rain  out  of  doors. 
For  when  it  abated  a  little,  and  she  proceeded  to  rise, 
she  found,  to  her  astonishment,  that  she  could  not. 
At  length,  after  many  efforts,  she  succeeded  in  get- 
ting upon  her  feet.  But  she  tumbled  down  again 
directly.  Hearing  her  fall,  her  old  nurse  uttered 
a  yell  of  delight,  and  ran  to  her,  screaming : 

"  My  darling  child !  she's  found  her  gravity !  " 

"  Oh,  that's  it !  is  it  ?  "  said  the  princess,  rubbing 
her  shoulder  and  her  knee  alternately.  "  I  consider 
it  very  unpleasant.  I  feel  as  if  I  should  be  crushed 
to  pieces." 

**  Hurrah !  "  cried  the  prince  from  the  bed.     "  If 


350     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

you've  come  round,  princess,  so  have  I.  How's  the 
lake?" 

*'  Brimful,"  answered  the  nurse. 

"  Then  we're  all  happy." 

"  That  we  are  indeed !  "  answered  the  princess, 
sobbing. 

And  there  was  rejoicing  all  over  the  country  that 
rainy  day.  Even  the  babies  forgot  their  past  trou- 
bles, and  danced  and  crowed  amazingly.  And  the 
king  told  stories,  and  the  queen  listened  to  them. 
And  he  divided  the  money  in  his  box,  and  she  the 
honey  in  her  pot,  among  all  the  children.  And  there 
was  such  jubilation  as  was  never  heard  of  before. 

Of  course  the  prince  and  princess  were  betrothed 
at  once.  But  the  princess  had  to  learn  to  walk, 
before  they  could  be  married  with  any  propriety. 
And  this  was  not  so  easy  at  her  time  of  life,  for  she 
could  walk  no  more  than  a  baby.  She  was  always 
falling  down  and  hurting  herself. 

''  Is  this  the  gravity  you  used  to  make  so  much 
of  ?  "  said  she  one  day  to  the  prince,  as  he  raised  her 
from  the  floor.  '*  For  my  part,  I  was  a  great  deal 
more  comfortable  without  it." 

"  No,  no,  that's  not  it.  This  is  it,"  replied  the 
prince,  as  he  took  her  up,  and  carried  her  about  like 
a  baby,  kissing  her  all  the  time.    ''  This  is  gravity." 

'*  That's  better,"  said  she.  "  I  don't  mind  that  so 
much." 

And  she  smiled  the  sweetest,  loveliest  smile  in  the 
prince's  face.  And  she  gave  him  one  little  kiss  in 
return  for  all  his ;  and  he  thought  them  overpaid, 
for  he  was  beside  himself  with  delight.    I  fear  she 


The  Light  Princess  351 

complained  of  her  gravity  more  than  once  after  this, 
notwithstanding. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  she  got  reconciled  to 
walking.  But  the  pain  of  learning  it  was  quite 
counterbalanced  by  two  things,  either  of  which 
would  have  been  sufficient  consolation.  The  first 
was,  that  the  prince  himself  was  her  teacher;  and 
the  second,  that  she  could  tumble  into  the  lake  as 
often  as  she  pleased.  Still,  she  preferred  to  have 
the  prince  jump  in  with  her;  and  the  splash  they 
made  before  was  nothing  to  the  splash  they  made 
now. 

The  lake  never  sank  again.  In  process  of  time 
it  wore  the  roof  of  the  cavern  quite  through,  and  was 
twice  as  deep  as  before. 

The  only  revenge  the  princess  took  upon  her  aunt 
was  to  tread  pretty  hard  on  her  gouty  toe  the  next 
time  she  saw  her.  But  she  was  sorry  for  it  the  very 
next  day,  when  she  heard  that  the  water  had  under- 
mined her  house,  and  that  it  had  fallen  in  the  night, 
burying  her  in  its  ruins ;  whence  no  one  ever  ven- 
tured to  dig  up  her  body.    There  she  lies  to  this  day. 

So  the  prince  and  princess  lived  and  were  happy ; 
and  had  crowns  of  gold,  and  clothes  of  cloth,  and 
shoes  of  leather,  and  children  of  boys  and  girls,  not 
one  of  whom  was  ever  known,  on  the  most  critical 
occasion,  to  lose  the  smallest  atom  of  his  or  her  due 
proportion  of  gravity. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

BEAUTY    AND   THE   BEAST 

There  was  once  a  very  rich  merchant,  who  had 
six  children,  three  boys  and  three  girls.  As  he  was 
himself  a  man  of  great  sense,  he  spared  no  expense 
for  their  education,  but  provided  them  with  all  sorts 
of  masters  for  their  improvement.  The  three  daugh- 
ters were  all  handsome,  but  particularly  the  young- 
est :  indeed  she  was  so  very  beautiful  that  in  her 
childhood  every  one  called  her  the  Little  Beauty, 
and  being  still  the  same  when  she  was  grown  up, 
nobody  called  her  by  any  other  name,  which  made 
her  sisters  very  jealous  of  her.  This  youngest 
daughter  was  not  only  more  handsome  than  her 
sisters,  but  was  also  better  tempered.  The  two  eld- 
est were  vain  of  being  rich,  and  spoke  with  pride 
to  those  they  thought  below  them.  They  gave 
themselves  a  thousand  airs,  and  would  not  visit  other 
merchants'  daughters ;  nor  would  they  indeed  be  seen 
with  any  but  persons  of  quality.  They  went  every 
day  to  balls,  plays,  and  public  walks,  and  always 
made  game  of  their  youngest  sister  for  spending  her 
time  in  reading,  or  other  useful  employments.  As 
it  was  well  known  that  these  young  ladies  would 
have  large  fortunes,  many  great  merchants  wished  to 
get  them  for  wives;  but  the  two  eldest  always 
answered  that,  for  their  parts,  they  had  no  thoughts 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  353 

of  marrying  any  one  below  a  duke,  or  an  earl  at 
least.  Beauty  had  quite  as  many  offers  as  her  sis- 
ters, but  she  always  answered  with  the  greatest  civil- 
ity, that  she  was  much  obliged  to  her  lovers,  but 
would  rather  live  some  years  longer  with  her  father, 
as  she  thought  herself  too  young  to  marry. 

It  happened  that  by  some  unlucky  accident  the 
merchant  suddenly  lost  all  his  fortune,  and  had  noth- 
ing left  but  a  small  cottage  in  the  country.  Upon 
this,  he  said  to  his  daughters,  while  the  tears  ran 
down  his  cheeks  all  the  time,  "  My  children,  we 
must  now  go  and  dwell  in  the  cottage,  and  try  to  get 
a  living  by  labour,  for  we  have  no  other  means  of 
support."  The  two  eldest  replied  that,  for  their 
parts,  they  did  not  know  how  to  work,  and  would 
not  leave  town ;  for  they  had  lovers  enough  who 
would  be  glad  to  marry  them,  though  they  had  no 
longer  any  fortune.  But  in  this  they  were  mistaken  ; 
for  when  the  lovers  heard  what  had  happened,  they 
said,  ''  The  girls  were  so  proud  and  ill-tempered, 
that  all  we  wanted  was  their  fortune;  we  are  not 
sorry  at  all  to  see  their  pride  brought  down.  Let 
them  give  themselves  airs  to  their  cows  and  sheep." 
But  every  body  pitied  poor  Beauty,  because  she  was 
so  sweet-tempered  and  kind  to  all  that  knew  her; 
and  several  gentlemen  offered  to  marry  her,  though 
she  had  not  a  penny ;  but  Beauty  still  refused,  and 
said  she  could  not  think  of  leaving  her  poor  father 
in  this  trouble  and  would  go  and  help  him  in  his  la- 
bours in  the  country.  At  first  Beauty  could  not  help 
sometimes  crying  in  secret  for  the  hardships  she 
was  now  obliged  to  suffer ;  but  in  a  very  short  time 
she  said  to  herself,  "All  the  crying  in  the  world  will 


354     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

do  me  no  good,  so  I  will  try  to  be  happy  without  a 
fortune." 

When  they  had  removed  to  their  cottage,  the  mer- 
chant and  his  three  sons  employed  themselves  in 
ploughing  and  sowing  the  fields,  and  working  in  the 
garden.  Beauty  also  did  her  part,  for  she  got  up  by 
four  o'clock  every  morning,  lighted  the  fires,  cleaned 
the  house,  and  got  the  breakfast  for  the  whole  fam- 
ily. At  first  she  found  all  this  very  hard;  but  she 
soon  grew  quite  used  to  it,  and  thought  it  no  hard- 
ship at  all;  and  indeed  the  work  greatly  amended 
her  health.  When  she  had  done,  she  used  to  amuse 
herself  with  reading,  playing  on  her  music,  or  sing- 
ing while  she  spun.  But  her  two  sisters  were  at  a 
loss  what  to  do  to  pass  the  time  away :  they  had 
their  breakfast  in  bed,  and  did  not  rise  till  ten  o'clock. 
Then  they  commonly  walked  out ;  but  always  found 
themselves  very  soon  tired ;  when  they  would  often 
sit  down  under  a  shady  tree,  and  grieve  for  the  loss 
of  their  carriage  and  fine  clothes,  and  say  to  each 
other,  "  What  a  mean-spirited  poor  stupid  creature 
our  young  sister  is,  to  be  so  content  with  our  low 
way  of  life !  "  But  their  father  thought  in  quite  an- 
other way:  he  admired  the  patience  of  this  sweet 
young  creature ;  for  her  sisters  not  only  left  her  to 
do  the  whole  work  of  the  house,  but  made  game  of 
her  every  moment. 

After  they  had  lived  in  this  manner  about  a  year, 
the  merchant  received  a  letter,  which  informed  him 
that  one  of  the  richest  ships,  which  he  thought  was 
lost,  had  just  come  into  port.  This  news  made  the 
two  eldest  sisters  almost  mad  with  joy;  for  they 
thought  they  should  now  leave  the  cottage,  and  have 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  355 

all  their  finery  again.  When  they  found  that  their 
father  must  take  a  journey  to  the  ship,  the  two  eld- 
est begged  he  would  not  fail  to  bring  them  back 
some  new  gowns,  caps,  rings,  and  all  sorts  of  trin- 
kets. But  Beauty  asked  for  nothing ;  for  she  thought 
in  herself  that  all  the  ship  was  worth  would  hardly 
buy  every  thing  her  sisters  wished  for.  "  Beauty," 
said  the  merchant,  ''  how  comes  it  about  that  you 
ask  for  nothing ;  what  can  I  bring  you,  my  child  ?  " 
*'  Since  you  are  so  kind  as  to  think  of  me,  dear 
father,"  she  answered,  "  I  should  be  glad  if  you 
would  bring  me  a  rose,  for  we  have  none  in  our  gar- 
den." Now  Beauty  did  not  indeed  wish  for  a  rose, 
nor  any  thing  else,  but  she  only  said  this,  that  she 
might  not  affront  her  sisters,  for  else  they  would 
have  said  she  wanted  her  father  to  praise  her  for  not 
asking  him  for  any  thing.  The  merchant  took  his 
leave  of  them  and  set  out  on  his  journey ;  but  when 
he  got  to  the  ship,  some  persons  went  to  law  with 
him  about  the  cargo,  and  after  a  deal  of  trouble,  he 
came  back  to  his  cottage  as  poor  as  he  had  gone 
away.  When  he  was  within  thirty  miles  of  his  home, 
and  thinking  of  the  joy  he  should  have  in  again 
meeting  his  children,  his  road  lay  through  a  thick 
forest,  and  he  quite  lost  himself.  It  rained  and 
snowed  very  hard,  and  besides,  the  wind  was  so 
high  as  to  throw  him  twice  from  his  horse.  Night 
came  on,  and  he  thought  to  be  sure  he  should  die  of 
cold  and  hunger,  or  be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  wolves 
that  he  heard  howling  round  him.  All  at  once,  he 
now  cast  his  eyes  towards  a  long  row  of  trees,  and 
saw  a  light  at  the  end  of  them,  but  it  seemed  a  great 
way  off.    He  made  the  best  of  his  way  towards  it, 


356     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

and  found  that  it  came  from  a  fine  palace,  lighted 
all  over.  He  walked  faster,  and  soon  reached  the 
gates,  which  he  opened,  and  was  very  much  sur- 
prised that  he  did  not  see  a  single  person  or  creature 
in  any  of  the  yards.  His  horse  had  followed  him, 
and  finding  a  stable  with  the  door  open,  went  into  it 
at  once ;  and  here  the  poor  beast,  being  nearly 
starved,  helped  himself  to  a  good  meal  of  oats  and 
hay.  His  master  then  tied  him  up,  and  walked 
towards  the  house,  which  he  entered,  but  still  with- 
out seeing  a  living  creature.  He  went  on  to  a  large 
hall,  where  he  found  a  good  fire,  and  a  table  cov- 
ered with  some  very  nice  dishes,  and  only  one  plate 
with  a  knife  and  fork.  As  the  snow  and  rain  had 
wetted  him  to  the  skin,  he  went  up  to  the  fire  to  dry 
himself.  "  I  hope,"  said  he,  ''  the  master  of  the 
house  or  his  servants  will  excuse  me,  for  to  be  sure 
it  will  not  be  long  now  before  I  see  them."  He 
waited  a  good  time,  but  still  nobody  came :  at  last 
the  clock  struck  eleven,  and  the  merchant,  being 
quite  faint  for  the  want  of  food,  helped  himself  to  a 
chicken,  which  he  made  but  two  mouth fuls  of,  and 
then  to  a  few  glasses  of  wine,  yet  all  the  time  trem- 
bling with  fear.  He  sat  till  the  clock  struck  twelve, 
but  did  not  see  a  single  creature.  He  now  took 
courage,  and  began  to  think  of  looking  a  little  more 
about  him ;  so  he  opened  a  door  at  the  end  of  the 
hall,  and  went  through  it  into  a  very  grand  room, 
in  which  there  was  a  fine  bed ;  and  as  he  was  quite 
weak  and  tired,  he  shut  the  door,  took  off  his  clothes, 
and  got  into  it. 

It   was   ten    o'clock    in    the   morning   before    he 
thought  of  getting  up,  when  he  was  amazed  to  see 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  '       357 

a  handsome  new  suit  of  clothes  laid  ready  for  him, 
instead  of  his  own,  which  he  had  spoiled.  "  To  be 
sure,"  said  he  to  himself,  *'  this  place  belongs  to 
some  good  fairy,  who  has  taken  pity  on  my  ill  luck." 
He  looked  out  of  the  window,  and,  instead  of  snow, 
he  saw  the  most  charming  arbours  covered  with  all 
kinds  of  flowers.  He  returned  to  the  hall,  where  he 
had  supped,  and  found  a  breakfast  table,  with  some 
chocolate  got  ready  for  him.  *'  Indeed,  my  good 
fairy,"  said  the  merchant  aloud,  "  I  am  vastly  obliged 
to  you  for  your  kind  care  of  me."  He  then  made  a 
hearty  breakfast,  took  his  hat,  and  was  going  to  the 
stable  to  pay  his  horse  a  visit ;  but  as  he  passed 
under  one  of  the  arbours,  which  was  loaded  with 
roses,  he  thought  of  what  Beauty  had  asked  him 
to  bring  back  to  her,  and  so  he  took  a  bunch  of  roses 
to  carry  home.  At  the  same  moment  he  heard  a 
most  shocking  noise,  and  saw  such  a  frightful  beast 
coming  towards  him,  that  he  was  ready  to  drop  with 
fear.  ''  Ungrateful  man !  "  said  the  beast,  in  a  terri- 
ble voice,  ''  I  have  saved  your  life  b}^  letting  you 
into  my  palace,  and  in  return  you  steal  my  roses, 
which  I  value  more  than  any  thing  else  that  belongs 
to  me.  But  you  shall  make  amends  for  your  fault 
with  your  life.  You  shall  die  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 
The  merchant  fell  on  his  knees  to  the  beast,  and, 
clasping  his  hands,  said,  "  My  lord,  I  humbly  beg 
your  pardon.  I  did  not  think  it  would  offend  you  to 
gather  a  rose  for  one  of  my  daughters,  who  wished 
to  have  one."  "  I  am  not  a  lord,  but  a  beast,"  replied 
the  monster ;  "  I  do  not  like  false  compliments,  but 
that  people  should  say  what  they  think :  so  do  not 
fancy  that  you  can  coax  me  by  any  such  ways.    You 


358     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

tell  me  that  you  have  daughters ;  now  I  will  pardon 
you,  if  one  of  them  will  agree  to  come  and  die  in- 
stead of  you.  Go;  and  if  your  daughters  should  re- 
fuse, promise  me  that  you  yourself  will  return  in 
three  months." 

The  tender-hearted  merchant  had  no  thought  of 
letting  any  one  of  his  daughters  die  instead  of  him ; 
but  he  knew  that  if  he  seemed  to  accept  the  beast's 
terms,  he  should  at  least  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
them  once  again.  So  he  gave  the  beast  his  promise ; 
and  the  beast  told  him  he  might  then  set  off  as  soon 
as  he  liked.  "  But,"  said  the  beast,  "  I  do  not  wish 
you  to  go  back  empty-handed.  Go  to  the  room  you 
slept  in,  and  you  will  find  a  chest  there ;  fill  it  with 
just  what  you  like  best,  and  I  will  get  it  taken  to 
your  own  house  for  you."  When  the  beast  had  said 
this,  he  went  away ;  and  the  good  merchant  said  to 
himself,  "  If  I  must  die,  yet  I  shall  now  have  the  com- 
fort of  leaving  my  children  some  riches."  He  re- 
turned to  the  room  he  had  slept  in,  and  found  a 
great  many  pieces  of  gold.  He  filled  the  chest  with 
them  to  the  very  brim,  locked  it,  and  mounting  his 
horse,  left  the  palace  as  sorry  as  he  had  been  glad 
when  he  first  found  it.  The  horse  took  a  path 
across  the  forest  of  his  own  accord,  and  in  a  few 
hours  they  reached  the  merchant's  house.  His  chil- 
dren came  running  round  him  as  he  got  off  his 
horse;  but  the  merchant,  instead  of  kissing  them 
with  joy,  could  not  help  crying  as  he  looked  at  them. 
He  held  in  his  hand  the  bunch  of  roses,  which  he 
gave  to  Beauty,  saying :  ''  Take  these  roses.  Beauty ; 
but  little  do  you  think  how  dear  they  have  cost  your 
poor  father ;"  and  then  he  gave  them  an  account  of 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  359 

all  that  he  had  seen  or  heard  in  the  palace  of  the 
beast.  The  two  eldest  sisters  now  began  to  shed 
tears,  and  to  lay  the  blame  upon  Beauty,  who  they 
said  would  be  the  cause  of  her  father's  death. 
"  See,"  said  they,  **  what  happens  from  the  pride  of 
the  little  wretch.  Why  did  not  she  ask  for  fine  things 
as  we  did?  But,  to  be  sure,  miss  must  not  be  like 
other  people ;  and  though  she  will  be  the  cause  of 
her  father's  death,  yet  she  does  not  shed  a  tear." 
''  It  would  be  of  no  use,"  replied  Beauty,  "  to  weep 
for  the  death  of  my  father,  for  he  shall  not  die  now. 
As  the  beast  will  accept  of  one  of  his  daughters,  I 
will  give  myself  up  to  him ;  and  think  myself  happy 
in  being  able  at  once  to  save  his  life,  and  prove  my 
love  for  the  best  of  fathers."  "  No,  sister,"  said  the 
three  brothers,  ''  you  shall  not  die ;  we  will  go  in 
search  for  this  monster,  and  either  he  or  we  will  per- 
ish." ''  Do  not  hope  to  kill  him,"  said  the  mer- 
chant, ''  for  his  power  is  far  too  great  for  you  to  be 
able  to  do  any  such  thing.  I  am  charmed  with  the 
kindness  of  Beauty,  but  I  will  not  suffer  her  life  to  be 
lost.  I  myself  am  old,  and  cannot  expect  to  live 
much  longer;  so  I  shall  but  give  up  a  few  years  of 
my  life,  and  shall  only  grieve  for  the  sake  of  my 
children."  "  Never,  father,"  cried  Beauty,  "  shall 
you  go  to  the  palace  without  me ;  for  you  cannot 
hinder  my  going  after  you.  Though  young,  I  am  not 
over  fond  of  life ;  and  I  would  much  rather  be  eaten 
up  by  the  monster,  than  die  of  the  grief  your  loss 
would  give  me."  The  merchant  tried  in  vain  to 
reason  with  Beauty,  for  she  would  go;  which,  in 
truth,  made  her  two  sisters  glad,  for  they  were  jeal- 
ous of  her,  because  everybody  loved  her. 


360     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

The  merchant  was  so  grieved  at  the  thoughts  of 
losing  his  child,  that  he  never  once  thought  of  the 
chest  filled  with  gold ;  but  at  night,  to  his  great  sur- 
prise, he  found  it  standing  by  his  bedside.  He  said 
nothing  about  his  riches  to  his  eldest  daughters,  for 
he  knew  very  well  it  would  at  once  make  them  want 
to  return  to  town ;  but  he  told  Beauty  his  secret,  and 
she  then  said,  that  while  he  was  away,  two  gentle- 
men had  been  on  a  visit  to  their  cottage,  who  had 
fallen  in  love  with  her  two  sisters.  She  then  begged 
her  father  to  marry  them  without  delay ;  for  she  was 
so  sweet-tempered,  that  she  loved  them  for  all  they 
had  used  her  so  ill,  and  forgave  them  with  all  her 
heart.  When  the  three  months  were  past,  the  mer- 
chant and  Beauty  got  ready  to  set  out  for  the  palace 
of  the  beast.  Upon  this,  the  two  sisters  rubbed  their 
eyes  with  an  onion,  to  make  believe  they  shed  a 
great  many  tears;  but  both  the  merchant  and  his 
sons  cried  in  earnest.  There  was  only  Beauty  who 
did  not,  for  she  thought  that  this  would  only  make 
the  matter  worse.  They  reached  the  palace  in  a  very 
few  hours,  and  the  horse,  without  bidding,  went 
into  the  same  stable  as  before.  The  merchant  and 
Beauty  walked  towards  the  large  hall,  where  they 
found  a  table  covered  with  every  dainty,  and  two 
plates  laid  ready.  The  merchant  had  very  little  ap- 
petite; but  Beauty,  that  she  might  the  better  hide 
her  grief,  placed  herself  at  the  table,  and  helped  her 
father ;  she  then  began  herself  to  eat,  and  thought  all 
the  time  that  to  be  sure  the  beast  had  a  mind  to  fat- 
ten her  before  he  eat  her  up,  as  he  had  got  such  good 
cheer  for  her.  When  they  had  done  their  supper, 
they  heard  a  great  noise,  and  the  good  old  man  be- 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  361 

gan  to  bid  his  poor  child  farewell,  for  he  knew  it 
was  the  beast  coming  to  them.  When  Beauty  first 
saw  his  frightful  form,  she  could  not  help  being 
afraid ;  but  she  tried  to  hide  her  fear  as  much  as  she 
could.  The  beast  asked  her  if  she  had  come  quite 
of  her  own  accord,  and  though  she  was  now  still 
more  afraid  than  before,  she  made  shift  to  say, 
"  Y-e-s."  ''  You  are  a  good  girl,  and  I  think  my- 
self very  much  obliged  to  you."  He  then  turned 
towards  her  father,  and  said  to  him,  "  Good  man, 
you  may  leave  the  palace  to-morrow  morning,  and 
take  care  never  to  come  back  to  it  again.  Good 
night.  Beauty."  *'  Good  night,  beast,"  said  she ;  and 
then  the  monster  went  out  of  the  room. 

"  Ah !  my  dear  child,"  said  the  merchant,  kissing 
his  daughter,  "  I  am  half  dead  already,  at  the 
thoughts  of  leaving  you  with  this  dreadful  beast; 
you  had  better  go  back,  and  let  me  stay  in  your 
place."  '*  No,"  said  Beauty  boldly,  "  I  will  never 
agree  to  that ;  you  must  go  home  to-morrow  morn- 
ing." They  then  wished  each  other  good  night,  and 
went  to  bed,  both  of  them  thinking  they  should  not 
be  able  to  close  their  eyes ;  but  as  soon  as  ever  they 
had  laid  down,  they  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  and  did 
not  wake  till  morning.  Beauty  dreamed  that  a  lady 
came  up  to  her,  who  said,  "  I  am  very  much  pleased. 
Beauty,  with  the  goodness  you  have  shown,  in  being 
willing  to  give  your  life  to  save  that  of  your  father : 
and  it  shall  not  go  without  a  reward."  As  soon  as 
Beauty  awoke,  she  told  her  father  this  dream;  but 
though  it  gave  him  some  comfort,  he  could  not  take 
leave  of  his  darling  child  without  shedding  many 
tears.    When  the  merchant  got  out  of  sight.  Beauty 


362     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

sat  down  in  the  large  hall,  and  began  to  cry  also: 
yet  she  had  a  great  deal  of  courage,  and  so  she  soon 
resolved  not  to  make  her  sad  case  still  worse  by  sor- 
row, which  she  knew  could  not  be  of  any  use  to  her, 
but  to  wait  as  well  as  she  could  till  night,  when  she 
thought  the  beast  would  not  fail  to  come  and  eat  her 
up.  She  walked  about  to  take  a  view  of  all  the 
palace,  and  the  beauty  of  every  part  of  it  much 
charmed  her. 

But  what  was  her  surprise,  when  she  came  to  a 
door  on  which  was  written.  Beauty's  room!  She 
opened  it  in  haste,  and  her  eyes  were  all  at  once  daz- 
zled at  the  grandeur  of  the  inside  of  the  room. 
What  made  her  wonder  more  than  all  the  rest  was, 
a  large  library  filled  with  books,  a  harpsichord,  and 
many  other  pieces  of  music.  "  The  beast  takes  care  I 
shall  not  be  at  a  loss  how  to  amuse  myself,"  said  she. 
She  then  thought  that  it  was  not  likely  such  things 
would  have  been  got  ready  for  her,  if  she  had  but 
one  day  to  live;  and  began  to  hope  all  would  not 
turn  out  so  bad  as  she  and  her  father  had  feared. 
She  opened  the  library,  and  saw  these  verses  written 
in  letters  of  gold  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  books : 

"  Beauteous  lady,  dry  your  tears, 
Here's  no  cause  for  sighs  or  fears ; 
Command  as  freely  as  you  may, 
Enjoyment  still  shall  mark  your  sway." 

"  Alas !  "  said  she,  sighing,  "  there  is  nothing  I 
so  much  desire  as  to  see  my  poor  father  and  to  know 
what  he  is  doing  at  this  moment."  She  said  this  to 
herself;  but  just  then  by  chance,  she  cast  her  eyes 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  363 

on  a  looking-glass  that  stood  near  her,  and  in  the 
glass  she  saw  her  home,  and  her  father  riding  up 
to  the  cottage  in  the  deepest  sorrow.  Her  sisters 
came  out  to  meet  him,  but  for  all  they  tried  to 
look  sorry,  it  was  easy  to  see  that  in  their  hearts 
they  were  very  glad.  In  a  short  time  all  this  picture 
went  away  out  of  the  glass :  but  Beauty  began  to 
think  that  the  beast  was  very  kind  to  her,  and  that 
she  had  no  need  to  be  afraid  of  him.  About  the 
middle  of  the  day,  she  found  a  table  laid  ready  for 
her;  and  a  sweet  concert  of  music  played  all  the 
time  she  was  eating  her  dinner  without  her  seeing 
a  single  creature.  But  at  supper,  when  she  was  go- 
ing to  seat  herself  at  table,  she  heard  the  noise  of  the 
beast,  and  could  not  help  trembling  with  fear. 
*'  Beauty,"  said  he,  *'  will  you  give  me  leave  to  see 
you  sup  ?  "  "  That  is  as  you  please,"  answered  she, 
very  much  afraid.  "  Not  in  the  least,"  said  the 
beast ;  ''  you  alone  command  in  this  place.  If  you 
should  not  like  my  company,  you  need  only  to  say 
so,  and  I  will  leave  you  that  moment.  But  tell  me, 
Beauty,  do  you  not  think  me  very  ugly  ?  "  "  Why, 
yes,"  said  she,  "  for  I  cannot  tell  a  story ;  but  then 
I  think  you  are  very  good."  "  You  are  right,"  re- 
plied the  beast ;  "  and,  besides  being  ugly,  I  am  also 
very  stupid :  I  know  very  well  enough  that  I  am  but 
a  beast." 

"  I  should  think  you  cannot  be  very  stupid,"  said 
Beauty,  "  if  you  yourself  know  this."  "  Pray  do  not 
let  me  hinder  you  from  eating,"  said  he ;  "  and  be 
sure  you  do  not  want  for  any  thing;  for  all  you  see 
is  yours,  and  I  shall  be  vastly  grieved  if  you  are  not 
happy."     "  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Beauty :  ''  I 


364     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

must  needs  own  that  I  think  very  well  of  your  good- 
nature, and  then  I  almost  forget  how  ugly  you  are." 
''  Yes,  yes,  I  hope  I  am  good-tempered,"  said  he, 
"  but  still  I  am  a  monster."  "  There  are  many  men 
who  are  worse  monsters  than  you  are,"  replied 
Beauty ;  *'  and  I  am  better  pleased  with  you  in  that 
form,  though  it  is  so  ugly,  than  with  those  who 
carry  wicked  hearts  under  the  form  of  a  man."  "  If 
I  had  any  sense,"  said  the  beast,  "  I  would  thank 
you  for  what  you  have  said ;  but  I  am  too  stupid  to 
say  any  thing  that  would  give  you  pleasure."  Beauty 
eat  her  supper  with  a  very  good  appetite,  and  almost 
lost  all  her  dread  of  the  monster ;  but  she  was  ready 
to  sink  with  fright,  when  he  said  to  her,  ''  Beauty, 
will  you  be  my  wife  ?  "  For  a  few  minutes  she  was 
not  able  to  speak  a  word,  for  she  was  afraid  of  put- 
ting him  in  a  passion,  by  refusing.  At  length  she 
said,  *'  No,  beast."  The  beast  made  no  reply,  but 
sighed  deeply,  and  went  away.  When  Beauty  found 
herself  alone,  she  began  to  feel  pity  for  the  poor 
beast.  '*  Dear !  "  said  she,  "  what  a  sad  thing  it  is 
that  he  should  be  so  very  frightful,  since  he  is  so 
good-tempered !  " 

Beauty  lived  three  months  in  this  palace,  very 
well  pleased.  The  beast  came  to  see  her  every 
night,  and  talked  with  her  while  she  supped ;  and 
though  what  he  said  was  not  very  clever,  yet  as  she 
saw  in  him  every  day  some  new  mark  of  his  good- 
ness, so  instead  of  dreading  the  time  of  his  coming, 
she  was  always  looking  at  her  watch,  to  see  if  it  was 
almost  nine  o'clock ;  for  that  was  the  time  when  he 
never  failed  to  visit  her.  There  was  but  one  thing 
that  vexed  her;  which  was  that  every  night,  before 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  365 

the  beast  went  away  from  her,  he  always  made  it  a 
rule  to  ask  her  if  she  would  be  his  wife,  and  seemed 
very  much  grieved  at  her  saying  no.  At  last,  one 
night,  she  said  to  him,  ''  You  vex  me  greatly,  beast, 
by  forcing  me  to  refuse  you  so  often ;  I  wish  I  could 
take  such  a  liking  to  you  as  to  agree  to  marry  you, 
but  I  must  tell  you  plainly,  that  I  do  not  think  it  will 
ever  happen.  I  shall  always  be  your  friend ;  so  try 
to  let  that  make  you  easy."  "  I  must  needs  do  so 
then,"  said  the  beast,  "  for  I  know  well  enough  how 
frightful  I  am;  but  I  love  you  better  than  myself. 
Yet  I  think  I  am  very  lucky  in  your  being  pleased  to 
stay  with  me ;  now  promise  me,  Beauty,  that  you 
will  never  leave  me."  Beauty  was  quite  struck  when 
he  said  this ;  for  that  very  day  she  had  seen  in  her 
glass  that  her  father  had  fallen  sick  of  grief  for  her 
sake,  and  was  very  ill  for  the  want  of  seeing  her 
again.  "  I  would  promise  you,  with  all  my  heart," 
said  she,  ''  never  to  leave  you  quite ;  but  I  long  so 
much  to  see  my  father,  that  if  you  do  not  give  me 
leave  to  visit  him  I  shall  die  with  grief."  "  I  would 
rather  die  myself,  Beauty,"  answered  the  beast, 
''  than  make  you  fret ;  I  will  send  you  to  your 
father's  cottage,  you  shall  stay  there,  and  your  poor 
beast  shall  die  of  sorrow."  ''  No,"  said  Beauty,  cry- 
ing, "  I  love  you  too  well  to  be  the  cause  of  your 
death;  I  promise  to  return  in  a  week.  You  have 
shown  me  that  my  sisters  are  married,  and  my  broth- 
ers are  gone  for  soldiers,  so  that  my  father  is  left  all 
alone.  Let  me  stay  a  week  with  him."  "  You  shall 
find  yourself  with  him  to-morrow  morning,"  replied 
the  beast;  ''but  mind,  do  not  forget  your  promise. 
When  you  wish  to  return  you  have  nothing  to  do  but 


366     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

to  put  your  ring  on  a  table  when  you  go  to  bed. 
Good-bye,  Beauty ! "  The  beast  then  sighed  as  he 
said  these  words,  and  Beauty  went  to  bed  very  sorry 
to  see  him  so  much  grieved.  When  she  awoke  in  the 
morning,  she  found  herself  in  her  father's  cottage. 
She  rung  a  bell  that  was  at  her  bedside,  and  a  ser- 
vant 'entered ;  but  as  soon  as  she  saw  Beauty,  the 
woman  gave  a  loud  shriek ;  upon  which  the  mer- 
chant ran  up  stairs,  and  when  he  beheld  his  daugh- 
ter he  was  ready  to  die  of  joy.  He  ran  to  the  bed- 
side, and  kissed  her  a  hundred  times.  At  last 
Beauty  began  to  remember  that  she  had  brought  no 
clothes  with  her  to  put  on ;  but  the  servant  told  her 
she  had  just  found  in  the  next  room  a  large  chest 
full  of  dresses,  trimmed  all  over  with  gold,  and 
adorned  with  pearls  and  diamonds. 

Beauty  in  her  own  mind  thanked  the  beast  for  his 
kindness,  and  put  on  the  plainest  gown  she  could 
find  among  them  all.  She  then  told  the  servant  to 
put  the  rest  away  with  a  great  deal  of  care,  for  she 
intended  to  give  them  to  her  sisters ;  but  as  soon  as 
she  had  spoken  these  words  the  chest  was  gone  out 
of  sight  in  a  moment.  Her  father  then  said,  per- 
haps the  beast  chose  for  her  to  keep  them  all  for  her- 
self;  and  as  soon  as  he  had  said  this,  they  saw  the 
chest  standing  again  in  the  same  place.  While  Beauty 
was  dressing  herself,  a  servant  brought  word  to 
her  that  her  sisters  were  come  with  their  husbands  to 
pay  her  a  visit.  They  both  lived  unhappily  with  the 
gentlemen  they  had  married.  The  husband  of  the 
eldest  was  very  handsome;  but  was  so  very  proud 
of  this,  that  he  thought  of  nothing  else  from  morn- 
ing till  night,  and  did  not  attend  to  the  beauty  of  his 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  367 

wife.  The  second  had  married  a  man  of  great  learn- 
ing ;  but  he  made  no  use  of  it,  only  to  torment  and 
affront  all  his  friends,  and  his  wife  more  than  any 
of  them.  The  two  sisters  were  ready  to  burst  with 
spite  when  they  saw  Beauty  dressed  like  a  princess, 
and  look  so  very  charming.  All  the  kindness  that 
she  showed  them  was  of  no  use;  for  they  were 
vexed  more  than  ever,  when  she  told  them  how 
happy  she  lived  at  the  palace  of  the  beast.  The 
spiteful  creatures  went  by  themselves  into  the  gar- 
den, where  they  cried  to  think  of  her  good  fortune. 
''  Why  should  the  little  wretch  be  better  off  than 
we?"  said  they.  ''We  are  much  handsomer  than 
she  is."  "  Sister,"  said  the  eldest,  ''  a  thought  has 
just  come  into  my  head :  let  us  try  to  keep  her  here 
longer  than  the  week  that  the  beast  gave  her  leave 
for:  and  then  he  will  be  so  angry,  that  perhaps  he 
will  eat  her  up  in  a  moment."  *'  That  is  well  thought 
of,"  answered  the  other,  "  but  to  do  this  we  must 
seem  very  kind  to  her."  They  then  made  up  their 
minds  to  be  so,  and  went  to  join  her  in  the  cottage : 
where  they  showed  her  so  much  false  love,  that 
Beauty  could  not  help  crying  for  joy. 

When  the  week  was  ended,  the  two  sisters  began 
to  pretend  so  much  grief  at  the  thoughts  of  her 
leaving  them,  that  she  agreed  to  stay  a  week  more ; 
but  all  that  time  Beauty  could  not  help  fretting  for 
the  sorrow  that  she  knew  her  staying  would  give  her 
poor  beast;  for  she  tenderly  loved  him,  and  much 
wished  for  his  company  again.  The  tenth  night  of 
her  being  at  the  cottage  she  dreamed  she  was  in  the 
garden  of  the  palace,  and  that  the  beast  lay  dying 
on  a  grass  plot,  and,  with  his  last  breath,  put  her 


368     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

in  mind  of  her  promise,  and  laid  his  death  to  her 
keeping  away  from  him.  Beauty  awoke  in  a  great 
fright,  and  burst  into  tears.  "  Am  not  I  wicked," 
said  she,  "  to  behave  so  ill  to  a  beast  who  has  shown 
me  so  much  kindness ;  why  will  I  not  marry  him  ? 
I  am  sure  I  should  be  more  happy  with  him  than  my 
sisters  are  with  their  husbands.  He  shall  not  be 
wretched  any  longer  on  my  account ;  for  I  should 
do  nothing  but  blame  myself  all  the  rest  of  my  life." 
She  then  rose,  put  her  ring  on  the  table,  got  into 
bed  again,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  In  the  morning  she 
with  joy  found  herself  in  the  palace  of  the  beast. 
She  dressed  herself  very  finely,  that  she  might  please 
him  the  better,  and  thought  she  had  never  known  a 
day  pass  away  so  slow.  At  last  the  clock  struck  nine, 
but  the  beast  did  not  come.  Beauty  then  thought  to 
be  sure  she  had  been  the  cause  of  his  death  in  earnest. 
She  ran  from  room  to  room  all  over  the  palace, 
calling  out  his  name,  but  still  she  saw  nothing  of 
him.  After  looking  for  him  a  long  time,  she  thought 
of  her  dream,  and  ran  directly  towards  the  grass 
plot ;  and  there  she  found  the  poor  beast  lying  sense- 
less and  seeming  dead.  She  threw  herself  upon  his 
body,  thinking  nothing  at  all  of  his  ugliness ;  and 
finding  his  heart  still  beat,  she  ran  and  fetched 
some  water  from  a  pond  in  the  garden,  and  threw  it 
on  his  face.  The  beast  then  opened  his  eyes,  and 
said  :  ''  You  have  forgot  your  promise.  Beauty.  My 
grief  for  the  loss  of  you  has  made  me  resolve  to 
starve  myself  to  death ;  but  I  shall  die  content,  since 
I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  once  more." 
"  No,  dear  beast,"  replied  Beauty,  ''  you  shall  not 
die ;  you  shall  live  to  be  my  husband :  from  this  mo- 


Beauty  and  the  Beast  369 

ment  I  offer  to  marry  you,  and  will  be  only  yours. 
Oh !  I  thought  I  felt  only  friendship  for  you ;  but  the 
pain  I  now  feel,  shows  me  that  I  could  not  live  with- 
out seeing  you." 

The  moment  Beauty  had  spoken  these  words,  the 
palace  was  suddenly  lighted  up,  and  music,  fire- 
works, and  all  kinds  of  rejoicings,  appeared  round 
about  them.  Yet  Beauty  took  no  notice  of  all  this, 
but  watched  over  her  dear  beast  with  the  greatest 
tenderness.  But  now  she  was  all  at  once  amazed 
to  see  at  her  feet,  instead  of  her  poor  beast,  the 
handsomest  prince  that  ever  was  seen,  who  thanked 
her  most  warmly  for  having  broken  his  enchant- 
ment. Though  this  young  prince  deserved  all  her 
notice,  she  could  not  help  asking  him  what  was  be- 
come of  the  beast.  ''  You  see  him  at  your  feet. 
Beauty,"  answered  the  prince,  "  for  I  am  he.  A 
wicked  fairy  had  condemned  me  to  keep  the  form  of 
a  beast  till  a  beautiful  young  lady  should  agree  to 
marry  me,  and  ordered  me,  on  pain  of  death,  not  to 
show  that  I  had  any  sense.  You,  alone,  dearest 
Beauty,  have  kindly  judged  of  me  by  the  goodness 
of  my  heart ;  and  in  return  I  offer  you  my  hand  and 
my  crown,  though  I  know  the  reward  is  much  less 
than  what  I  owe  you."  Beauty,  in  the  most  pleasing 
surprise,  helped  the  prince  to  rise,  and  they  walked 
along  to  the  palace,  when  her  wonder  was  very 
great  to  find  her  father  and  sisters  there,  who  had 
been  brought  by  the  lady  Beauty  had  seen  in  her  * 
dream.  ''  Beauty,"  said  the  lady  (for  she  was  a 
fairy),  "  receive  the  reward  of  the  choice  you  have 
made.  You  have  chosen  goodness  of  heart  rather 
than  sense  and  beauty ;  therefore  you  deserve  to  find 


J70     Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know 

them  all  three  joined  in  the  same  person.  You  are 
going  to  be  a  great  Queen :  I  hope  a  crown  will  not 
destroy  your  virtue." 

"  As  for  you,  ladies,"  said  the  fairy  to  the  other 
two  sisters,  **  I  have  long  known  the  malice  of  your 
hearts,  and  the  wrongs  you  have  done.  You  shall 
become  two  statues;  but  under  that  form  you  shall 
still  keep  your  reason,  and  shall  be  fixed  at  the  gates 
of  your  sister's  palace ;  and  I  will  not  pass  any  worse 
sentence  on  you  than  to  see  her  happy.  You  will 
never  appear  in  your  own  persons  again  till  you  are 
fully  cured  of  your  faults ;  and  to  tell  the  truth,  I  am 
very  much  afraid  you  will  remain  statues  for  ever." 

At  the  same  moment,  the  fairy,  with  a  stroke  of 
her  wand,  removed  all  who  were  present  to  the 
young  prince's  country,  where  he  was  received  with 
the  greatest  joy  by  his  subjects.  He  married  Beauty, 
and  passed  a  long  and  happy  life  with  her,  because 
they  still  kept  in  the  same  course  of  goodness  from 
which  they  had  never  departed. 


5301 


